When You Pray- Part 2

 When You Pray- 2

December 5, 2024

Matthew 6:5-15 (NASB95)

5 “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. 6 “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. 7 “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. 8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.   

9 “Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread. 12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]  

14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.

Matthew gives a fuller account of Jesus instructions on prayer. He starts out with instructions on the attitude of prayer. He goes after the hypocritical attitude of those who love to pray in public so that they can be seen. We still see this today but not so much in the synagogue as on social media. How loudly do people protest about the perceived evils of others, but really raise a fuss if anyone looks at their own life. Why they may even get a presidential pardon to try to keep anyone from looking too deeply into the crimes they have committed!

Jesus emphasizes that the Father hears what we pray in the closet and knows what we need without making a public spectacle of it. But even though the Father knows what you need before you ask, He still wants you to ask.

The first point in the model prayer is to honor God. “Hallowed be Your name.” The proper attitude of prayer must be focused on the Father, and His goodness, and not on our need or need for public recognition. He is all sufficient. We start with acknowledging who God is and give reverence to His name.

“Thy kingdom come… on earth…” The second point is to pray that the perfect rule of God will come to earth, just as it is in heaven. There is a long standing war between the kingdom of darkness and the kingdom of light. We need to start on the side of the kingdom of light and pray to bring more and more light into the world. This has implications for both our personal and public life. Wouldn’t it be refreshing to have national leaders who exemplified the attributes of the kingdom of light. No more lying, cheating, stealing and taking of bribes and injustice. Pray for the kingdom come to earth. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem… and Washington D.C.

“Give us this day our daily bread…” In the introduction, Jesus said that the Father knows what we need before we ask, but here he emphasizes that we need to ask. And not only ask, but ask daily. There is an attitude of dependence that is a prerequisite for the humble attitude that the Lord desires for us. By asking for our daily break, we acknowledge that we depend on the Lord for everything, and are thankful and joyful when He provides.

“And forgive our debts…” Healing starts with forgiveness. Jesus also closes out this discourse with a teaching on the importance of forgiveness. (see verses 14-15). We could talk for a long time about the importance of forgiveness and the requirement that it has to start in your own heart. You cannot be forgiven when you refuse to forgive. A lot of human suffering hinges on peoples unwillingness to forgive.

 

“Lead us not into temptation…” And finally, we are to pray for strength in the spiritual battle that rages around us. We are to confront evil without giving in to the temptations that it offers. In the world, there are all sorts of temptations. The airwaves and internet constantly bombard us with all the “good” things that “you deserve”. I’m so sick of commercials that advertise the things that “You deserve”. No we don’t! We deserve to be punished for our sins but it is the grace of God that saves us. So resist temptation, and be grateful for the victory in Jesus.

This discourse ends with a final warning about forgiveness. That’s an essential attitude that we need when we pray, is an attitude of forgiveness. In another verse, Jesus tells us not to bring an offering to the alter until we have forgiven our brother. A clear conscious is required to enter into God’s presence. So forgive others so that you may be forgiven.