Matthew 6:5-8 NIV
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This teaching continues in the same vein as the previous teaching on charity. The basic message is don't be a hypocrite, practicing your piety for others to see, so that you gain their approval and accolades. Instead seek God in private. Your heart should desire an intimate relationship with God as you practice spiritual disciplines. That is the true reward in practices like giving, prayer, and fasting.
Prayer is about relationship. I used to think of God as The Great Wish Granter. I thought the way prayer worked was like a gumball machine. You drop in a prayer request and out rolls a sweet solution from heaven. I've come to understand that prayer is primarily about deepening my life with God as my eternal companion.
I just watched Pete's Dragon, the new Disney adaption of their classic musical from the 1970's. Pete was lost in the woods for 6 years after a car crash that killed his parents. As the only survivor he was taken in by a magical Dragon. They became constant companions. The Dragon watched over Pete as if the boy was his own child. The Dragon provided for, protected and played with Pete. They had a happy life together. But when Pete came in contact with other humans and he spoke of his friend the dragon, they all thought it was an imaginary friend he'd constructed in his mind to cope with isolation in the forest.
God cannot be seen with our physical eyes, not unless there is the rare theophany, like His appearance on Mount Sinai. Atheists would claim God is an construct of human imagination to help weak-minded human beings to cope with the struggles of mortal life and our inevitable death. When we pray we're really just talking to ourselves, they would have us believe.
But people of faith know the difference between talking to ourselves and communing heart to heart with God. Jesus invites His disciples to pray in secret, and not out on the busy streets as a show for others. Don't make a show at church with your prayers. Instead pray in private at home to meet with your Father in heaven.
Does this mean public prayers in worship are wrong? No, not at all. Corporate prayer is very powerful when done with the desire to commune with our creator. Public prayers are only wrong when done with the foolish intention to impress people. If you want to impress people with your prayers, then you might gain their approval, but you won't be getting the true benefit of prayer, the transformative touch of God's grace and love.
When you pray to God don't babble on with many words. You might think that Jesus condemns long prayers. I used to think this teaching meant, "Keep it short and to the point. God knows what you need anyway." That is not what Jesus means here. In pagan worship it was a common practice to pray the many attributes of the god of whom they were trying to gain favor. The pagan priests would babble on with a long list of the god's accomplishments and characteristics in hope to gain favor. Jesus would have His disciples understand that we already have God's favor. He announced it through the prophet Isaiah when He preached in His hometown of Nazareth.
Luke 4:18-21 NIV
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
You don't need to try and get God's attention or vie for His time. God is always near and His eye lovingly watches over you. Like the psalmist wrote,
Psalm 121:7-8 NIV
The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Of course we know that harm does come to us, but that's another discussion for another time. Suffice it to say that God is watching over you always. When harm occurs, God is with you in it and will bring you through it, even the great chasm between this life and eternity. You have God's favor. You didn't earn it. You don't need to work hard to gain God's favor. You already have it as a free gift from His bountiful love. So pray with the knowledge that God loves you and is intent upon transforming your life with Him, to reach your God-given potential. Prayer is a bedrock practice to deepen your life with God and a pathway to Christlikeness.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
This teaching continues in the same vein as the previous teaching on charity. The basic message is don't be a hypocrite, practicing your piety for others to see, so that you gain their approval and accolades. Instead seek God in private. Your heart should desire an intimate relationship with God as you practice spiritual disciplines. That is the true reward in practices like giving, prayer, and fasting.
Prayer is about relationship. I used to think of God as The Great Wish Granter. I thought the way prayer worked was like a gumball machine. You drop in a prayer request and out rolls a sweet solution from heaven. I've come to understand that prayer is primarily about deepening my life with God as my eternal companion.
I just watched Pete's Dragon, the new Disney adaption of their classic musical from the 1970's. Pete was lost in the woods for 6 years after a car crash that killed his parents. As the only survivor he was taken in by a magical Dragon. They became constant companions. The Dragon watched over Pete as if the boy was his own child. The Dragon provided for, protected and played with Pete. They had a happy life together. But when Pete came in contact with other humans and he spoke of his friend the dragon, they all thought it was an imaginary friend he'd constructed in his mind to cope with isolation in the forest.
God cannot be seen with our physical eyes, not unless there is the rare theophany, like His appearance on Mount Sinai. Atheists would claim God is an construct of human imagination to help weak-minded human beings to cope with the struggles of mortal life and our inevitable death. When we pray we're really just talking to ourselves, they would have us believe.
But people of faith know the difference between talking to ourselves and communing heart to heart with God. Jesus invites His disciples to pray in secret, and not out on the busy streets as a show for others. Don't make a show at church with your prayers. Instead pray in private at home to meet with your Father in heaven.
Does this mean public prayers in worship are wrong? No, not at all. Corporate prayer is very powerful when done with the desire to commune with our creator. Public prayers are only wrong when done with the foolish intention to impress people. If you want to impress people with your prayers, then you might gain their approval, but you won't be getting the true benefit of prayer, the transformative touch of God's grace and love.
When you pray to God don't babble on with many words. You might think that Jesus condemns long prayers. I used to think this teaching meant, "Keep it short and to the point. God knows what you need anyway." That is not what Jesus means here. In pagan worship it was a common practice to pray the many attributes of the god of whom they were trying to gain favor. The pagan priests would babble on with a long list of the god's accomplishments and characteristics in hope to gain favor. Jesus would have His disciples understand that we already have God's favor. He announced it through the prophet Isaiah when He preached in His hometown of Nazareth.
Luke 4:18-21 NIV
“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”
Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”
You don't need to try and get God's attention or vie for His time. God is always near and His eye lovingly watches over you. Like the psalmist wrote,
Psalm 121:7-8 NIV
The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Of course we know that harm does come to us, but that's another discussion for another time. Suffice it to say that God is watching over you always. When harm occurs, God is with you in it and will bring you through it, even the great chasm between this life and eternity. You have God's favor. You didn't earn it. You don't need to work hard to gain God's favor. You already have it as a free gift from His bountiful love. So pray with the knowledge that God loves you and is intent upon transforming your life with Him, to reach your God-given potential. Prayer is a bedrock practice to deepen your life with God and a pathway to Christlikeness.
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