Learning to Pray
Matthew 6:5-8
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
I hope that all of you had a great and wonderful Christmas with friends and family. As we approach the New Year, East Renton Community Church will be focusing on the topic of prayer for 2025. We will be exploring the meaning behind prayer and learning about the heart of prayer. My prayer for the church is that we learn the importance of connecting with the Lord and entering into deeper relationship with Him (as well as with other people in our lives).
Prayer can be one of the most misunderstood aspects of the Christian faith. We often approach it with a mixture of guilt, confusion, and uncertainty. What makes a prayer "good enough"? Should we use specific words or phrases? Does the length of our prayers matter? In this passage, Jesus cuts through the complexity and confusion surrounding prayer, offering us fundamental truths that transform how we approach our conversation with God. He's addressing his followers during His Sermon on the Mount, and his words carry particular weight because they're part of his core teaching about what it means to live in God's kingdom specifically talking about three topics that are all intertwined with one another: giving, prayer, and fasting. Jesus is giving us important teaching about the misuse and correct ways in which we approach these important topics.
Let's start with what prayer isn't. Jesus begins by pointing out two common mistakes that can corrupt our prayer life. The first is turning prayer into a performance. We've all seen it – maybe we've even done it ourselves. It's that moment when prayer becomes less about connecting with God and more about impressing the people around us. Jesus describes people who "love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others." Think about that word "love" for a moment. In the original Greek, it suggests a habitual practice, something these people actively seek out. They're not just occasionally getting caught up in the moment; they're deliberately choosing locations and times that will maximize their visibility. It's like posting our prayers on social media not because we want to encourage others, but because we're counting the likes and comments.
The second mistake Jesus addresses is what he calls "babbling." This isn't about prayer length itself – after all, Jesus himself sometimes spent entire nights in prayer. Instead, it's about the misconception that we need to use special formulas or repetitive phrases to get God's attention. In Jesus' time, pagan religions often used elaborate incantations and magical formulas in their prayers. Some people thought that if they just said the right words in the right order enough times, their gods would have to answer. We might not use magical formulas today, but we still sometimes fall into similar patterns. We might think we need to use certain "spiritual" language or that our prayers need to sound like they came from a theology textbook to be effective. We might repeat phrases we've heard others use, not because they express our hearts, but because we think that's how prayer is "supposed" to sound. Jesus offers a radically different understanding of prayer. He tells us to "go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." This isn't just about physical location – it's about the heart of prayer itself. Prayer, at its core, is about relationship. It's about intimate conversation with a Father who already knows us completely.
Think about how you talk with someone you're close to, someone who knows you well. You don't need to put on a show. You don't need to use fancy words or endless repetitions. You simply share what's on your heart. That's what Jesus is pointing us toward in prayer – a genuine, honest conversation with God.
This brings us to one of the most profound aspects of Jesus' teaching on prayer. He reminds us that "your Father knows what you need before you ask him." This raises an obvious question: if God already knows what we need, why pray at all? The answer reveals the true purpose of prayer.
Prayer isn't about informing God of our needs – He already knows them better than we do. Instead, prayer is about aligning our hearts with His. It's about acknowledging our dependence on Him. It's about building a relationship with the One who created us and loves us more deeply than we can imagine. When we understand this, it changes everything about how we pray. We stop worrying about finding the perfect words because we realize that God isn't grading our vocabulary. We stop feeling pressure to pray for a certain length of time because we understand that prayer isn't about duration but about connection. We stop performing for others because we're focused on the audience of One who matters most.
This understanding also helps us grasp why private prayer is so essential. Just as any deep relationship needs one-on-one time to grow, our relationship with God needs those private moments. When we pray in our "room with the door closed," we're creating space for genuine intimacy with God. We're stepping away from the distractions and pressures of public perception and entering into a conversation that's just between us and our Father.
And what about public prayer? Is it always wrong? Not at all. Jesus himself prayed publicly on several occasions. The issue isn't where we pray but why we pray. Public prayer should be the overflow of a vibrant private prayer life, not a replacement for it. When we pray publicly, our focus should still be on communicating with God, not impressing those around us.
Jesus' teaching has practical applications for our daily lives. It means we can pray anywhere, anytime, without worrying about having the right words or the right formula. It means we can be honest with God about our doubts, fears, and struggles without trying to make them sound more spiritual than they are. It means we can approach prayer as a conversation with someone who loves us deeply and wants to hear from us.
How might this change your approach to prayer? Instead of seeing prayer as a religious duty to check off your list, what if you saw it as a chance to spend time with someone who knows you completely and loves you anyway? Instead of worrying about saying the right things, what if you focused on being genuine in your communication with God?
The beauty of Jesus' teaching is that it simplifies prayer while making it more meaningful. It removes the artificial barriers we often put up and invites us into a genuine relationship with God. It shows us that prayer isn't about performance but presence, not about technique but trust, not about information but intimacy.
As we grow in our faith, let's hold onto these truths. Prayer isn't complicated – it's conversation with God. It's not about impressing others or using the right words. It's about genuine communication with our Father who already knows our needs and loves us completely. When we grasp this, prayer becomes less of a burden and more of a blessing, less of a duty and more of a delight. This is the heart of prayer that Jesus wants us to understand. It's not about what others think of our prayers or whether we're using the right words. It's about developing a genuine, intimate relationship with our Father in heaven. When we approach prayer with this understanding, we find that it becomes exactly what it was always meant to be – a life-giving conversation with the One who knows us best and loves us most.
Prayer can be one of the most misunderstood aspects of the Christian faith. We often approach it with a mixture of guilt, confusion, and uncertainty. What makes a prayer "good enough"? Should we use specific words or phrases? Does the length of our prayers matter? In this passage, Jesus cuts through the complexity and confusion surrounding prayer, offering us fundamental truths that transform how we approach our conversation with God. He's addressing his followers during His Sermon on the Mount, and his words carry particular weight because they're part of his core teaching about what it means to live in God's kingdom specifically talking about three topics that are all intertwined with one another: giving, prayer, and fasting. Jesus is giving us important teaching about the misuse and correct ways in which we approach these important topics.
Let's start with what prayer isn't. Jesus begins by pointing out two common mistakes that can corrupt our prayer life. The first is turning prayer into a performance. We've all seen it – maybe we've even done it ourselves. It's that moment when prayer becomes less about connecting with God and more about impressing the people around us. Jesus describes people who "love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others." Think about that word "love" for a moment. In the original Greek, it suggests a habitual practice, something these people actively seek out. They're not just occasionally getting caught up in the moment; they're deliberately choosing locations and times that will maximize their visibility. It's like posting our prayers on social media not because we want to encourage others, but because we're counting the likes and comments.
The second mistake Jesus addresses is what he calls "babbling." This isn't about prayer length itself – after all, Jesus himself sometimes spent entire nights in prayer. Instead, it's about the misconception that we need to use special formulas or repetitive phrases to get God's attention. In Jesus' time, pagan religions often used elaborate incantations and magical formulas in their prayers. Some people thought that if they just said the right words in the right order enough times, their gods would have to answer. We might not use magical formulas today, but we still sometimes fall into similar patterns. We might think we need to use certain "spiritual" language or that our prayers need to sound like they came from a theology textbook to be effective. We might repeat phrases we've heard others use, not because they express our hearts, but because we think that's how prayer is "supposed" to sound. Jesus offers a radically different understanding of prayer. He tells us to "go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen." This isn't just about physical location – it's about the heart of prayer itself. Prayer, at its core, is about relationship. It's about intimate conversation with a Father who already knows us completely.
Think about how you talk with someone you're close to, someone who knows you well. You don't need to put on a show. You don't need to use fancy words or endless repetitions. You simply share what's on your heart. That's what Jesus is pointing us toward in prayer – a genuine, honest conversation with God.
This brings us to one of the most profound aspects of Jesus' teaching on prayer. He reminds us that "your Father knows what you need before you ask him." This raises an obvious question: if God already knows what we need, why pray at all? The answer reveals the true purpose of prayer.
Prayer isn't about informing God of our needs – He already knows them better than we do. Instead, prayer is about aligning our hearts with His. It's about acknowledging our dependence on Him. It's about building a relationship with the One who created us and loves us more deeply than we can imagine. When we understand this, it changes everything about how we pray. We stop worrying about finding the perfect words because we realize that God isn't grading our vocabulary. We stop feeling pressure to pray for a certain length of time because we understand that prayer isn't about duration but about connection. We stop performing for others because we're focused on the audience of One who matters most.
This understanding also helps us grasp why private prayer is so essential. Just as any deep relationship needs one-on-one time to grow, our relationship with God needs those private moments. When we pray in our "room with the door closed," we're creating space for genuine intimacy with God. We're stepping away from the distractions and pressures of public perception and entering into a conversation that's just between us and our Father.
And what about public prayer? Is it always wrong? Not at all. Jesus himself prayed publicly on several occasions. The issue isn't where we pray but why we pray. Public prayer should be the overflow of a vibrant private prayer life, not a replacement for it. When we pray publicly, our focus should still be on communicating with God, not impressing those around us.
Jesus' teaching has practical applications for our daily lives. It means we can pray anywhere, anytime, without worrying about having the right words or the right formula. It means we can be honest with God about our doubts, fears, and struggles without trying to make them sound more spiritual than they are. It means we can approach prayer as a conversation with someone who loves us deeply and wants to hear from us.
How might this change your approach to prayer? Instead of seeing prayer as a religious duty to check off your list, what if you saw it as a chance to spend time with someone who knows you completely and loves you anyway? Instead of worrying about saying the right things, what if you focused on being genuine in your communication with God?
The beauty of Jesus' teaching is that it simplifies prayer while making it more meaningful. It removes the artificial barriers we often put up and invites us into a genuine relationship with God. It shows us that prayer isn't about performance but presence, not about technique but trust, not about information but intimacy.
As we grow in our faith, let's hold onto these truths. Prayer isn't complicated – it's conversation with God. It's not about impressing others or using the right words. It's about genuine communication with our Father who already knows our needs and loves us completely. When we grasp this, prayer becomes less of a burden and more of a blessing, less of a duty and more of a delight. This is the heart of prayer that Jesus wants us to understand. It's not about what others think of our prayers or whether we're using the right words. It's about developing a genuine, intimate relationship with our Father in heaven. When we approach prayer with this understanding, we find that it becomes exactly what it was always meant to be – a life-giving conversation with the One who knows us best and loves us most.
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