We all know we should pray. Yet, why do so many Christians struggle to pray? If we were to define prayer, it is simply communicating with God. As John Wesley said, “Prayer is where the action is.” In Matthew 6, Jesus lays out life in the Kingdom of God. He raises the bar in giving, fasting, and praying, going right for the heart of the matter. He tells the listening crowd when they pray, ensure their prayer is one done from a heart of faith, not one that is like a hypocrite. Craig S. Keener said, “A hypocrite is one who pretends to be something other than they really are.” The term hypocrite finds its roots in describing the mask that actors wear on a stage. Again as Keener notes, “One of human religion’s greatest temptations is to act piously to elicit the praise of others.”
In the text, Jesus doesn’t state who these hypocrites are, but I believe the Pharisees and Sadducees are in question here. These two groups were immensely pious and religious. Yet, Jesus wasn’t interested in the outward show of piousness; the Lord desires a humble and contrite heart. One that genuinely seeks to glorify God first, not simply the applause of man.
The hypocrite wears a mask; they are an actor on the stage, pretending. In the case of prayer, the hypocrite stands in the posture of prayer. However, instead of seeking the Lord, they yearn for the approval of men. Their true motive is for others to laud how pious and righteous they are. Understand that people can simultaneously have the right actions but have the wrong heart motives.
We should ask, Lord, are my motives right regarding prayer? Do you pray and lift your hands on Sunday morning so others can think you live that way on a Monday, or do it because you seek the Lord? Does your lack of prayer on Monday stem because no one is there to notice you?
Jesus says when you pray, go instead to a private place and pray to the Father who is with you in secret. Now we have to balance here. Jesus is not prohibiting public or open prayer; he is making a more significant point regarding our hearts. Jesus often pulled away to be alone with the Father. See, the invisible one is always present. So while he is with you, he is with your brother or sister in the Lord.
Yet, for the first-century Jews hearing this, their homes were not like ours. We have doors in every room. They heard Jesus say, go into your closet, where you can be alone in private. The only room in the average Palestinian home with its door would be the much smaller “closet.” Leon Morris said., “The secret place will exclude other people but not God; he is there, in the secret place.”
Jesus is our model for prayer, and he found refreshment in His time alone with the Father. How much more should we follow this example? The Lord Jesus says, ” When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words.”
Matthew 6:7 CSB.
Jesus reminds us that when we pray, we seek the Lord alone and pray as those in the Kingdom of God, unlike those who don’t know the Lord. Jesus says they babble or use empty words and phrases, which they believe cause answered prayer. Instead, Jesus calls his disciples to pray in faith, knowing the Lord hears them.
What if we return to a simple prayer life, Praying as Jesus commanded, in faith, alone with the Father, asking for what we need and allowing this time to refresh our souls?
Instead of taking on the entire year, start today. Find a place to be alone with the Father, pray the Word, and ask for what you need.
In the next 90 DAYS: WHAT WILL YOU DO TO CHANGE YOUR PRAYER LIFE?
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