Both contexts: Zenos makes a distinction between the prayer of the heart directed to God and a social prayer. He emphasizes that God hears the prayer of the individual, even when given in the wilderness, the field, the home, or the closet. The emphasis on personal prayer is contrasted with public prayer. This was an issue in both the Old and New Worlds. Jesus raised this very issue:
Matthew 6:5
5 ¶ And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
For the people Alma is addressing, this is very much appropriate to their situation. The very structure of the Zoramite worship was a prayer specifically designed to be seen of men. With this verse, Alma highlights the very problem this people have with the Zoramites, their exclusion from the public prayer, and shows it to be a false worship. The true worship is internal, and is a worship to which they have full access.