In what ways is prayer used to gain the favor of men, to bargain for position, or even to gossip and control others?  

Fr. Timothy Lowe submits to the critique of Matthew's Gospel which warns about heaping up empty words and praying in order to be seen by men.  A Father provides for His children, and Our Father in Heaven knows what you need before you even ask. We can't keep secrets from Him anyway.  As Matthew instructs, "When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you." Fr. Timothy reminds us, like Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane, it is in the acceptance of the simple prayer, "Thy will be done."