Do you like to be accepted and validated? We all want to be recognized and valued by others. Why? Do you also desire to please your Heavenly Father and get His approval? In the last post, Jesus instructed us to be secretive about what we give and to whom, even your other hand should not know. If you desire recognition from others when you do good, then you will miss the Heavenly Father’s reward. In this post, Jesus instructs us how to pray to receive a reward from our Heavenly Father who sees you and knows what you need before you ask.
1. Pray in secret.
Jesus tells us in Matthew 6:5-6, “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. 6But 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.”
First, what is a hypocrite? According to Dictionary.com (2023), a hypocrite is a person who pretends to have virtues, moral or religious beliefs, principles, etc., that they do not actually possess, especially a person whose actions belie stated beliefs. If we were to apply this definition to the verses above, someone who prays to be noticed does not have a genuine relationship with God. I struggle to pray in front of people because of verse six. I feel that prayer is an intimate talk with God and that when I pray in public, it is superficial and what the group would expect me to pray.
2. Keep prayer simple.
Jesus says the following in Matthew 6:7-8, “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. 8Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Do you admire people who pray long flowy prayers with no depth? Or repeat a phrase or several phrases over and over as if God will take notice? Take a moment and think about your prayers. Do you say the same shallow prayer every day? I wrote a prayer booklet with one month of prayers that come from the Bible. The Bible says when we pray according to God’s will, then He hears us (1 John 5:14). We know that God’s Word is His will. Check out these prayers on the page called Who God is — Daily A-C-T-S Prayers. I will send you this prayer booklet if you contact me and ask for it.
These verses remind me of Jesus’s parable about the end result of the tax collector’s prayer of repentance and the Pharisee’s prideful prayer in Luke 18:9-14.
How wonderful that God knows what we need before we ask. Isaiah 65:24 states, “Before they call, I will answer; while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” Not only does God know what we need, but wants to supply our needs according to His abundant riches when we ask (Phil 4:19). And Ephesians 3:20 says that God will “do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us.” I forget this truth and live as a spiritual pauper. How about you?
3. Pray the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6:9-12.
Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
10Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread, 12and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Read each phrase and personalize it. So often we say this prayer but don’t give much thought to what the prayer really means. Please read my post on this prayer model called HOW TO PRAY USING THE LORD’S PRAYER AS A MODEL.
4. Humbly forgive those who hurt or offended you.
Jesus explains in Matthew 6:14-15, “For if you forgive others their trespasses [sins against you], your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” I wish more people would take this instruction more seriously than they do. So many Christian people will not forgive but live angry, miserable lives. What is worse is the consequence of our heavenly Father not forgiving us. When we stand before God on the day of judgment and our sins are not forgiven, He will not let us into heaven because He is holy. This reminds me of the parable about the unforgiving servant in Matthew 18:21-35 and what our heavenly Father will do to us.
Please read my post called WHY MUST YOU FORGIVE? In summary:
1. Forgiveness frees you to experience love and joy.
2. Forgiveness protects you from the devil’s devices.
3. Forgiveness heals your mind, emotions, and body.
4. Forgiving is obeying God.
Conclusion
Why do wise people pray? First, wise people are humble and admit they are sinners in need of forgiveness. Second, wise people admit they need God to meet their needs and seek Him. Third, a wise person desires to be righteous and please God by obeying Him. I will end by asking you to read Psalm 34:12-19.
RELATED POSTS
I did a series of posts about prayer and why God may not answer our prayers. To read all of them go to Posts about Prayer.
How to Dig up the Unforgiving Belief to Grow in Love
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Contact me at hopeforcompletehealing@gmail.com and ask for a PDF of Eight Life-changing Prayers from the Bible. The prayers are for the Spirit of wisdom, renewal, spiritual strength, knowledge of His will, virtues of God, non-believers, 23rd Psalm, and victory. I will also send you the Lord’s Prayer Model to pray effectively. Please leave your name, so I know you are a real person making the request.
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