Read: Matthew 6:5-6
Devotion: In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches his disciples about the kingdom of heaven and what it means to be citizens of that kingdom. Jesus covers a wide breadth of topics all related to kingdom life, correcting much of what they had heard and learned from the teachers of their day. The Pharisees, Sadducees, and scribes were religious hypocrites, teaching God’s Word while not understanding it and practicing it properly. Much of their worship therefore was merely outward and superficial. In the eyes of the world, it looked like they were super religious and faithful to God, but really they were just putting on a show to bolster their reputations.
In chapter six, Jesus addresses the topic of prayer and corrects what his disciples would have seen modeled to them by religious leaders. The first two verses of the chapter teach us an important discipline concerning prayer that can sometimes be forgotten in the business of life.
First, Jesus affirms that citizens of his kingdom pray. Christians are not self-sufficient or self-reliant but wholly reliant on God. It’s clear that we need to be in regular communication with God, but in what manner are we to pray? Jesus tells us that we are not to be like the hypocrites who put on a show and who are more concerned about what they look and sound like rather than actually going to the throne of God in humble prayer. What they want most is man’s approval, and Jesus says that they will receive their reward. That is, due to their outward religiosity, people will think the religious leaders are zealous for God.
Christ’s disciples are not to pray in that way. Rather, we are to go into our room, shut our door, and pray to the Father in secret (Matt 6:6). In other words, we are to pray to the Father rather than attempting to impress men. And as we do this, our faithful Father will reward us. He will answer our prayer according to his will, we will be encouraged and grow from our time in prayer, our relationship to God will deepen, and we will be storing up for ourselves other heavenly treasure (Matt 6:20). All of these blessings are infinitely better than gaining the fickle and subjective opinion of men.
But don’t miss Jesus’ main point: We need to be deliberate, intentional, and truly seeking God’s will in our prayers. We must avoid hypocrisy, saying one thing publicly while your heart desires something else.
Notice also that Jesus does not ban public prayer. He does not say that we can never pray on the street or with our family or in church. The question is why are we praying where we’re praying? That’s what Jesus is getting at, and praying in private helps focus our minds toward God. In public there are all sorts of distractions, not least of all our pride. “If I word my prayer this way, maybe I’ll get an ‘amen.’” “If I say it this way maybe those I’m praying will think I’m a great at prayer.” Those thoughts can creep in. On top of that we have to battle against the other distractions around us. Our computers, our phones, a playful squirrel in the park, people doing and saying things nearby. All of those things can negatively impact our prayers.
We should be regular and consistent in prayer throughout the day in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, but we also need times where we follow Christ’s example and get away from everything to pray (Luke 5:16). We need to carve out time to get by ourselves, in private, without distractions, to be in intentional prayer to God. We need to get alone with God and humbly go before his throne with praise and thanksgiving and petition and confession (Heb 4:14-16).
To make time for prayer in this busy world, we need to be diligent and disciplined, regularly scheduling time to do this. I’m not suggesting that we turn it into a mindless ritual or tradition. Rather, I am saying that we make sure that we are consistent and regular in private prayer.
When was the last time you went into your room, shut the door, and prayed to your Father in heaven?
Ponder and Pray: Consider some practical ways in which you can be more intentional in your prayer life. Finish by asking for the Spirit’s help in maintaining regular times of private prayer.
