Matthew 6: 7 – 8 “And when you pray, do not heap up phrases (multiply words, repeating the same ones over and over) as the Gentiles do, for they think they will be heard for their much speaking. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
If things were noisy at a Jewish temple, they were a whole lot noisier at some of the heathen shrines! 1 Kings 18:25-29 tells the story of Elijah’s confrontation with the prophets of Baal several hundred years before Jesus. The Baal worshipers changed all day long, even cutting themselves and running around their altar until all they could do was to limp. Why were people chanting so much? Could it have been because they didn’t know the one true living God and actually thought that if they repeated the same request or demand over and over, they would manipulate God into doing whatever they wanted Him to?
Here Jesus is trying to point us away from meaningless rituals and point us to His Father. “But,” you ask, “What about Jesus’ teaching in Luke 18 where he advises people to always pray and not to lose heart and give up? What about the story of the widow and the unjust judge?” (Luke 18: 1- 8) Jesus is not trying to discourage us from continuing to pray or to intercede. But think about it. If your child wants something, he or she will come to you and ask for it. And if the child doesn’t receive the desired answer the first time, the child will keep returning to ask again and again. But smart children are not going to stand in front of their parents chanting the same thing over and over and over. Such a practice is likely to cause the parent to send the child away, rather than to grant a request.
When I was growing up on a Midwestern farm, I desperately wanted a horse to ride. I asked my parents several times for a horse, but they told me they weren’t sure I could take care of one. One thing I knew that I might have to do if I owned a horse was to clean out the horse’s stall. We had milk cows and each day they filled the dung channel in the milking parlor. Without being asked, I began cleaning out the cow manure on a nightly basis. I was nine at the time. I cleaned cow manure for a whole year, but at the end of that year, my parents got me a horse.
God is a good father; in fact, God is a perfect father. Earthly fathers sometimes have no idea how to help their children, but Father God always knows our needs and wants, even before we do. What God wants is for us to approach Him in prayer quietly and confidently, certain that He will hear us. As the song says, “He knows my name. He knows my every thought. He sees each tear that falls, and hears me when I call.” Find a quiet place and talk with your heavenly Father. He’s waiting for you.
PRAYER: Father God, thank you so much that you have created us to love you and to desire you. Please help us to pray in faith that you are hearing us and that you care for everything about us. And thank you that we don’t have to chant or to mouth meaningless words, but that you always hear us the first time. Help us to listen for your still small Voice. In Jesus’ Name. Amen.
Burunche's Blog 
Leave a comment