Prayer I

The next portion of Scripture is a little long, so I will separate it into two different sections. The first section will be similar to the former section of charitable deeds; a do and don't do list. The second section will be focused on what has been labeled as "The Lord's Prayer".

So the first section is like unto the first portion of chapter six. Jesus takes the idea of what spirituality was at that time and instructs the disciples in the correct form. Up until this time, all the people had to go on were the impossible examples of the spiritual leaders. The thing about Jesus is that He takes the impossible and makes it very possible for the "normal" man. Every spiritual leader began just where I did. Nothing in them makes them a better Christian than I. If they did it then so can I. Jesus makes it possible.

"And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly I say to you, they have their reward." Matthew 6:5, NKJV

Again, Jesus likens the spiritual leaders to a hypocrite. They want to be seen as spiritual. I cannot lie, I have been in this place before. I wanted to be the guy that everyone said, "Oh look at him." "Look how spiritual he is." But then I would have already reaped my reward. The reward here is the same as it is in the first part of chapter 6, a nice pat on the back from your fellow man.

"But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly." Matthew 6:6, NKJV

We, as Christians, are instructed to go into a secluded place to pray. Think of it like this. when you are having an intimate conversation with someone, where are you located? Just say that it is your wife and you want to talk to her about problems in your marriage. Would you talk to her about it in the middle of the room or on a crowded street corner? Of course not. The same thing goes with our Lord. He desires us to have an intimate conversation with Him. The intimacy is cut down when we can be distracted. No one needs to know the intimate places of your heart except the Lord. The reward you receive for praying in private will be greater than just a simple pat on the back.

"And when you pray, do not use vain repetition as the heathen do. For they think they will be heard for their many words." Matthew 6:7, NKJV

This is the first time I will talk of any other religion other than my own belief system. The Catholics, I feel, practice prayer in this fashion. In the next part of this portion of Scripture, we will be covering the Lord's prayer. However, it is not the Lord prayer. He stated when you pray, pray like this. It was merely a model for us to go by which will be covered in the next installment of this blog. When one goes to confession in a Catholic church you are given "x" amount of "Hail Mary's" and an "x" amount of "Our Father's". Does this mean that all Catholics are heathens? No.

"Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him." Matthew 6:8, NKJV

What the Lord is conveying here is a spiritual truth. There is no need for you to pray out in public loudly for all to hear you. There is also no need to use repetition when you pray. Prayer needs to be a nice conversation with you Father.

The Lord knows what we need even before we ask. So why even ask? What is the point of prayer if He already knows? Good question. The Lord wants us to ask because He wants us to acknowledge the fact that He knows. Later in chapter 7, the Lord will cover asking and seeking and knocking.

Prayer is our intimate time with the Lord. It is the time when we open our hearts to him and give Him all our cares and worries and desires and needs. If you spent the better part of your time with your best friend just being silent, where would the friendship go. It is all about communication.