Matthew 6:5-15
“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. 6 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. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Jesus hits us with a reality check starting in verse 5. He tells us that we should not be like the hypocrites that love standing in the synagogues and in public praying just to be seen! When talking with people, I hear from them that they find it hard to pray in large groups, or in public in general. The difference with them is it is out of fear of what others will think. The hypocrites that Jesus is talking about in today's verses is that of someone looking to become the spotlight. Jesus tells us that we should take prayer time seriously. He commands us to go into a room and shut the door and pray in secret, as in praying with no disruptions or distractions. God the Father wants to have our undivided attention. Today's verses go on to say that when we pray, God knows what we need before we even ask. I am one of those people that find it difficult to ask for help. I feel that it's easier to just do it myself, but we all know how that works out when we try to take on the world by ourselves. God wants us to go to him with open and honest hearts, he wants us to bring him all our worries and temptations. Yes, he already knows what we are facing, but when we bring it to him, we can then lay it down at his feet. However, we need to be careful when we are praying that we are not using God as a magic genie in the sky wishing for the will of our flesh, but the will of his to be done with our lives.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”
Ask yourself do you pray for the will of God over your life? Do you pray for the will of God over your children, spouse, and family members? Jesus teaches us that we should pray for the Father’s will to be done as it is in heaven. That can be a scary thing sometimes, but in an amazing way. As we know being adults, what we want is not always what we need. I encourage you to start praying for God’s will to be done in your life. Be ready to see God move in mighty ways, be ready to see God use you in ways you didn't think were possible.
“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. 6 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. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Jesus hits us with a reality check starting in verse 5. He tells us that we should not be like the hypocrites that love standing in the synagogues and in public praying just to be seen! When talking with people, I hear from them that they find it hard to pray in large groups, or in public in general. The difference with them is it is out of fear of what others will think. The hypocrites that Jesus is talking about in today's verses is that of someone looking to become the spotlight. Jesus tells us that we should take prayer time seriously. He commands us to go into a room and shut the door and pray in secret, as in praying with no disruptions or distractions. God the Father wants to have our undivided attention. Today's verses go on to say that when we pray, God knows what we need before we even ask. I am one of those people that find it difficult to ask for help. I feel that it's easier to just do it myself, but we all know how that works out when we try to take on the world by ourselves. God wants us to go to him with open and honest hearts, he wants us to bring him all our worries and temptations. Yes, he already knows what we are facing, but when we bring it to him, we can then lay it down at his feet. However, we need to be careful when we are praying that we are not using God as a magic genie in the sky wishing for the will of our flesh, but the will of his to be done with our lives.
“This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.”
Ask yourself do you pray for the will of God over your life? Do you pray for the will of God over your children, spouse, and family members? Jesus teaches us that we should pray for the Father’s will to be done as it is in heaven. That can be a scary thing sometimes, but in an amazing way. As we know being adults, what we want is not always what we need. I encourage you to start praying for God’s will to be done in your life. Be ready to see God move in mighty ways, be ready to see God use you in ways you didn't think were possible.