Matthew 6: 5-8

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But 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. 7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him”

Good morning!

The fact the God allows us to pray blows me away. We literally get to participate in the most powerful thing in the world because prayer moves the hand of the almighty! Wow!

In today’s passage, Jesus gives us instruction for when we pray. Notice, Jesus doesn’t say, “if you get around to pray.” Instead, He specifically says “when!” In other words, it’s expected…. If you’re going to be a person that follows Jesus, you must be a person of prayer…… it’s not something “we just get around to.”

For many of us, prayer can be intimidating. Maybe you’re like me and grew up in a tradition where church members prayed out loud to close the service. Every Sunday, our pastor would randomly call upon someone in the crowd, and I can vividly remember hearing grown men and women pour out their hearts to the Lord. Though I’m grateful for that experience, there was a time when I questioned the effectiveness of my prayers because they just simply didn’t sound as “good” as theirs…

Jesus isn’t necessarily prohibiting public prayer; rather, He prohibits praying for the purpose of public recognition. Prayer in the non-Jewish world was often characterized particularly by formal invocations and magical chants, in which the correct repetition counted rather than the worshipper’s attitude or intention. In Graeco-Roman religions, they believed their repetition would pester the gods to have their request granted. It’s clear that Jesus wasn’t interested in these thoughtless mechanical prayers…

So, what is He wanting from us when it comes to prayer? He wants prayer to flow from a heart of humility and dependence. He is more interested in the quality rather than the quantity of the utterance. He cares about our hearts… He cares about our desires to approach Him with the hopes of drawing near to Him. Sitting at the master’s feet… Drinking from the cup of his hand… overwhelmed in His presence!

Don’t miss out on the privilege of prayer! Because of Jesus, we can bring our hopes, desires, needs, and so on to the feet of the almighty, and more importantly, He wants to meet with you!

-Taylor