Pray Precisely

• Posted on September 15, 2020 at 5:43 pm

And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.“ Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.” (Matthew 6:7-8)

For a long time, I have tried to understand how this verse reconciles with the story of the unjust judge where the widow pled day and night for justice and finally received her answer. I have also heard people interpret Matthew 6:33 to mean “keep praying, seeking, or knocking.” So, what do the above verses mean?

I have come to the conclusion that Jesus is not telling us to refrain from praying about the same thing repeatedly. He wants us to pray fervently about important matters, and that may sometimes mean asking for something on a daily basis. I think he is rather addressing those who use pious words or who say the same phrases or prayers over and over. My mom used to tell us to “use precise words,” and I expect that is partly what Jesus is getting at here. Since the Lord knows what we need before we ask, the only reason to use a lot of big, lofty words is to be seen of men. (We covered that in the last post.)

As you pray this week, make sure that you are praying from the heart in accordance with the heart of God. That is when you will begin to see results.

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Pray Discreetly

• Posted on September 3, 2020 at 8:26 am

“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ~Matthew 6:5-6

I believe I mentioned in the past that my sisters laugh at me when I say, “We need to pray.” I guess that is my answer for everything as I am continually aware of this vast necessity and hold to the belief that the majority of people do not pray nearly enough. But I suspect that part of the problem is that people don’t really know how to pray. Even Jesus’ closest friends needed to be taught.

As I was reading through Matthew recently, I felt prompted to write a small series on prayer. I am in no way, shape, or form the “prayer expert,” so I am studying and learning along with you. With so much sickness, fear, and depression this year, not to mention an election coming up, our friends, our communities, our country, and we ourselves need God like some may not have experienced Him in a long time.

In the verses I quoted above, Jesus told the people not to pray to be seen of men. It would be easy to misunderstand what He is saying and think He doesn’t want anyone to know that we pray, but there is a difference in saying, “Don’t tell anyone that you talk to Me” versus “Don’t pray in order to be noticed by others.”

As I’ve attended prayer meetings through the years, it is usually easy to spot those who are praying in order to impress others. This person tends to wax overly eloquent, use big words that no one but God understands, and sometimes talks in a voice that he only uses when he prays. The purpose in praying with others is to join in agreement with other Brothers and Sisters for certain things that you all want to ask for (Matthew 18:19-20). True unified prayer should be humble as if you were making a petition before a powerful person who has the authority to give you whatever you ask for. If you found yourself in the Oval Office and were able to ask the President for anything in the world, I doubt you would stand there pompously, saying, “Oh, wonderful, majestic President, I beseech thee that you would grant this, my humble request.” Maybe you would but I expect that you would have a sense of awe as you graciously stated, “Mr. President, thank you for your willingness to see me. Would you be willing to _______________?”

I’m not saying we should be timid in prayer (Hebrews 4:16 tells us to come boldly to the throne of grace), but neither should we be arrogant or confusing with our many words. I will talk more about this in my next post.

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