Jesus on Prayer
In Matthew 6, Jesus offers some instruction on prayer — specifically, misguided approaches to prayer versus the kind of prayer God desires.
First, Jesus contrasts the prayer God desires with the self-righteousness of hypocrites:
When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. (verses 5-6)
Prayer is not about impressing others with our piety. Jesus’ words here should not be taken to forbid disciples’ praying when gathered together or the leading of such prayers (see, for example, Acts 4:23ff; 12:12; 20:36). They should not be taken to discourage us from praying personally when we’re in a public environment (e.g., giving thanks for a meal in a restaurant). Instead, they are a warning against praying “in order to be noticed by men.” When we pray, God sees and hears; that is enough.
Second, Jesus contrasts the prayer God desires with the ignorance of pagans:
And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (verses 7-8)
To many ancient pagans, prayer was like working a combination lock: utter just the right words, in the right way, the right number of times, and you unlocked the favor of the gods. The memorized and carefully recited prayers of some religious groups today may betray a similar mindset. Even the “model” prayer Jesus offers in the following verses (9-13) is sometimes treated this way. But, as George Barlow wrote, “To repeat a verbal formulary is not prayer … Genuine prayer involves thought, diligent inquiry, passionate entreaty, unwearied perseverance” (Pulpit Commentary). Prayer should be the pouring out of our hearts before God, not the mere reciting of familiar, worn-out expressions. That doesn’t mean that it’s wrong in prayer to say something the way we’ve heard others say it. But let’s take care that we don’t disengage our hearts and minds, nor substitute the mere repetition of certain words or phrases for genuine prayer.
“The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much” (James 5:16).
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