Matthew 6:5-6
““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 others. Truly I tell you, 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.”
Matthew 6:5-6 NIV
In almost every place you go and visit with Christians, there is a deep, underlying conviction. Our walk with the Lord, our life of discipleship, our power over sin, and our love for God would all be greatly enhanced with more time in prayer. Without realizing it, a culture obsessed with privacy finds its most intimate and private gift, prayer, lived out in public more than in private.
Prayer is about developing a relationship and dependency on God as Father, not about being seen. Prayer is about seeking God, his will, and his grace, not about gaining a reputation or a set of admirers. Jesus is reminding us that God has sent us an invitation to visit with him in prayer. To give up that privilege for the approval of the crowd is not only shameful. Jesus says it's useless.
It is easy to look back and point an accusing finger at these religious deceivers. And yet, we should all take a moment to reflect on our own lives, to ascertain whether we may be falling into some form of religious pretence.
May we live our lives as unto the Lord and not seek the passing applause of men. Let us present our lives as a living sacrifice, which is holy and acceptable to God and let us seek to use the privileges that we have been granted by grace, wisely and biblically, through faith in Christ, for His own glory.
As a Christian, your confidence in prayer is that you never come to God without a mediator. Christ is your mediator both in redemption and in intercession. The unbeliever has no confidence in his prayer because he is not represented before the Father by the Son. But if we are in Christ, having repented of our sins and believed the gospel, we can truly pray in Jesus Name with great confidence.
As we bring this study to a close, let us commit to pursue the discipline of closet prayer with greater fervency than ever. And let these words from nineteenth century Bishop Joseph Hall speak to us today. “It is not the arithmetic of our prayers, how many they be, nor the rhetoric of our prayers. How eloquent they be, nor their geometric. How long they be, nor their music. How sweet their voice may be, nor their logic. How argumentative they be, nor yet their method. How orderly they be, nor even their divinity. How good their doctrine may be, which God cares for. But it is the fervency of spirit which availeth much.”
Let us learn to pray fervently to our Father and then, in faith, watch expectantly to see how He will answer!!!
Father thank You for this day and the privilege of prayer and how we praise and thank You that You are a God Who hears and answers the cries of Your children. Lord let Your abundant blessings be my friend and family’s portion today. Lord keep us low at the Cross and broken before You, and help us to walk in spirit and truth all the days of our lives. Lord teach us to pray into Your perfect will, and not yearn for the approval of man. Lord use us to be the salt and light of Your Word yo all today. Be a blessing.
Father, we love You. Amen !
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