Prayer 101

 ⁵And 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. ⁶But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. ⁷But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. ⁸Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. ⁹After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. ¹⁰Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.¹¹Give us this day our daily bread.¹²And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. ¹³And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

-Matthew 6:5-13 (KJV)

We've been studying these passages for a few days now, and I hope that this has been a help to you. Prayer is one of the most important aspects of our Christian life, but I fear that we may not use it properly. On Monday, we looked at the elements of proper prayer as found in the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. CLICK HERE to read that post. On Tuesday, we studied how we should not pray. CLICK HERE to read that post. Today, I want us to look at a few more thoughts on prayer, and then take a hard look at your prayer life and see what needs improved.

Jesus told us, in verse 5 not to be like the hypocrites. A hypocrite is someone who is not what they say they are. It's easy for me to say I'm a Christian. It's another to actually live and practice what the Bible teaches. Jesus is teaching us not to be like they hypocrites when we are praying. Why? Because they like the praise of men when they pray in public areas. Make no mistake about this, there is nothing wrong with praying in public. What Jesus is teaching us that is wrong is when you pray "to be seen of men." When you're only praying for others to see you, that is what is wrong. How, then, should we pray? Verse 6 says, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Instead of praying to be seen by others, try praying to be seen only by God. Jesus tells us to go into your closet and close the door. That way, your prayers are private, between you and God. The idea, here, is to shut out anything that will interfere with your alone time with God. Turn off the computer and cell phone, and spend time, alone with God. Here's a question: When you pray, do you pray only so others can see your works? Or, do you pray so that you can communicate with God?

Jesus said, in verse 7, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking." Some people seem to keep on talking, and talking, and talking in prayer, and it all amounts to nothing. Jesus said that paying like that, using  babbling and repetitions, is praying like the heathen. Why do they pray that way? Because they think God will take notice and hear them by the amount of words leaking from their mouth. How should we pray? Verse 8 says, "Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." God knows what you need, there is no need to keep on in repetition. Pray in secret and pray that the will of God is done. When you pray, do you pray using empty words, and your prayers are measured in the amount of words you use? Or, do you pray asking God to fulfill His will in your life? Think About It.