Pray this way
“Prayer is awe, intimacy, struggle—yet the way to reality. There is nothing more important, or harder, or richer, or more life-altering. There is absolutely nothing so great as prayer.” (Tim Keller)
We hear that prayer is getting to know God; getting to know his heart and mind. It’s a two way conversation that, as Tim Keller describes, is life-altering when we tap into the very heart of our Maker.
Prayer is a large tenet of our faith and yet it’s something that we continuously learn about as we travel on our individual and corporate faith journies. No one is born exactly how to pray and so the way we pray is probably a mish mash of how other people around us prayed.
Yet, there is no greater teacher to teach us how to pray than Jesus. In Mattthew 6:5-13, he teaches us not a prayer to recite over and over but a model of prayer that we’re to adapt in our own lives. It’s a model that is focused on three key characteristics.
When you pray, you must pray secretly (alone with God)
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. (verse 6)
Jesus tells us not to be like the hypocrites of the time i.e. the Pharisees and scribes who would look for the busiest street corner at the busiest time of day to pray aloud. And as Jesus says, “they [had] received their reward in full.,” (verse 5). The reward? Human applause and adoration. When we pray, Jesus calls us to not look for adoration, satisfaction or attention from those around us. Instead, he instructs us to go to our secret place where nobody is around to clap for our religious performance. This doesn’t mean we can’t pray in public, but it definitely means we must prioritise our private prayer.
When you pray, you must pray sincerely with all your heart
And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. (verse 7)
Vain repetition here refers to mindless and thoughtless prayer. In other words, lazy prayer. Prayer is a conversation. Imagine having a mindless conversation with a friend who fed you the same line over and over again? God demands and deserves passionate prayer; prayer like that described in James 5:16 - powerful and effective. As John Bunyon said, “when you pray, it would be better to let your heart be without words than to let your words be without heart.” Pray sincerely from the heart as that’s what God deserves and desires.
When you pray, you must pray specifically with your life in mind
This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” (verse 9)
Ever been lost on how to pray? How to order your prayer and know what to say? Jesus gives us the perfect model of prayer. He begins with worship ensuring our focus from the get go is on God (verse 9). Then he instructs us to surrender as it says in verse 10, “your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” We must surrender all our false pretenses, our heart and mind and our anxieties unto the Creator. Which we follow up with petition or our requests to God (verse 11), then pardon (asking for forgiveness) (verse 12) and finally protection (verse 13). Too often, we only think about forgiveness (asking God to pardon when we do wrong) and not enough about deliverance (asking God to help us from doing wrong). Ask God. Don’t be anxious for he wants to hear your requests.
Finally, in later manuscripts, Matthew 6:13 includes, “for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.” At the end of the day, we acknowledge that God’s kingdom remains forever regardless of our prayer requests.
Heavenly Father,
Thank you that Jesus has taught us how to pray meaningful, sincerely and specfically. Help me, Lord, to pray in a way that is pleasing to you, that would deepen our relationship and help me to know more of you. For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
In Jesus’s name I pray,
Amen