Righteous Act #2 – Prayer
“And when you pray, do not be like
the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the
street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received
their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and
pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in
secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like
pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not
be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew
6:5-8)
As
Jesus continues his teaching on righteous living, he turns his attention to
prayer. And, as he did with his teaching on giving, Jesus makes the assumption
that his followers will do it and he also warns us not to be hypocrites,
play-actors who make a big show of talking to God when really they are just
drawing attention to themselves.
First, let’s talk about the
assumption that Jesus makes – that his followers will pray. I’m sure that most
of us do pray, especially when life puts us in a foxhole or between a rock and
a hard place. However, I can’t assume that we all pray regularly or even daily.
I
have known a lot of Christians and have been surprised by the number of people
who confess that even though they want to pray, they often put it off. They
can’t seem to find the time, or the right time and place in the day. Or, if
they are honest, they feel unworthy to talk to God or they doubt that He is
listening or that He will do anything to answer their request anyway. Lack of
faith in God to hear and respond to their request or lack of faith in the work
of Christ to make them worthy and holy before Him steal away their intimacy
with God in prayer.
Don’t let this happen to you. Jesus
suffered on the cross so that your sins can be forgiven and you can have direct
access to God. If you feel unworthy to pray, then confess your sins to God, put
your faith in Christ, and give your life to Him, knowing that His sacrifice on
the cross makes you holy and without sin, able to go to Him in prayer whenever
and wherever you desire.
And let me emphasize the whenever
and wherever you desire. You don’t have to have a set time and place, although
that helps some people maintain regular contact with God so that is a good
thing. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can talk to God, just pouring
out your heart and feelings to Him, at any time and any place. Private places
are best – in your bedroom, the car, the shower, while on a walk, while doing
housework or yard work, whatever – just start talking to Him as often as you
can. You will be blessed!
So then, when you pray, talk to God
from your heart, not from a script. If you are praying publicly, don’t feel
like you have to pray for a certain amount of time or use the right words. Public
prayer is not a performance; it is leading the people of God into His presence
and talking to Him on their behalf.
The same is especially true when you
are praying privately. There is no need to feel that you have to babble on for
a certain period of time or use the right words or hit every need on your list.
The Father knows what you need better than you do. You don’t have to say the
right words or do the right ritual or sing the right incantation to get Him to
do what you want Him to do. It doesn’t work that way. It is more like a child
talking to a parent that loves him very, very much.
Your Father loves you and wants
what’s best for you, so just crawl into His lap and talk to Him. Tell Him your
concerns, your fears, your worries. Tell Him about the mistakes you have made
and where you need His help. He will be quick to answer, although it might be
in ways you never expected!
Pray with me:
Father, thank you that because of Jesus I am holy and
have direct access to you. Thank you that I am your child and I can talk to you
anytime I want, and I bring these concerns before you now…continue praying as
you are led…
For further study, meditate on these Scriptures:
Phil 4:6-7 Do not be
anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which
transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ
Jesus.
Rom 8:26 In the same way, the Spirit helps us in
our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself
intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
1 Thess 5:16-18 Be joyful
always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's
will for you in Christ Jesus.
Col 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being
watchful and thankful.
Please use this blog for
personal devotional use and feel free to share it with friends and family.
However, all publishing rights are reserved. No reproduction or publication of
this blog is permitted without the permission of the author, Pastor Randy
Brockett of New Song
Foursquare Church
in Colorado Springs , Colorado
No comments:
Post a Comment