Matthew 6:5-8 “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. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward. But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
We are back on the street in Capernaum, and look here! Our friend Zachariah has just come out of the synagogue after having made a generous donation. Now Zachariah wants to top that performance by standing on the street corner and praying as loudly as possible in front of the whole town. What a guy! Surely God must be blessing this performance….or is He? Passers by continue to ignore Zachariah, for they know that once Zach gets going, he may go on chanting prayers for a long time. And Zacharia’s neighbors know that once he goes home after this performance, his poor family is in for a rough time. Buoyed by adrenaline from the performances at the temple and on the street, Zachariah is likely to summon his children and his wife and fulfill his role as head of the household by “instructing” them on all their shortcomings. Is it any wonder thatZachariah’s son Isaac has moved out to live with an uncle in another town just to escape his father’s verbal abuse?
Jesus is a villager telling stories to other villagers, describing scenes familiar to everyone. The genius of Jesus’ teachings is that he begins by describing the familiar and then points out what these things mean in the kingdom of God. Nobody has to explain the concept of hypocrisy to villagers; they have living examples such as Zachariah. Now Jesus is saying what some people have suspected for a long time, namely, that these professional religious people are getting their rewards now. What is new to Jesus’ audience is the idea that God is NOT pleased with such performances.
“But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not babble on like pagans, for they think that by their many words they will be heard. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” What’s new about Jesus’ teaching is the idea of a loving Heavenly Father who cares passionately for His children and who wants to hear from them personally. Many of the people in the audience have grown up chanting the ritual prayers in the synagogue; however, the idea of speaking to God as if He can respond is a startling new idea. Here Jesus is advising that prayer can be private and quiet.
Most of the audience are familiar with practices in pagan temples where priests and worshipers might chant as loudly as possible for hours on end in hopes of propitiating their gods. Many of the audience may have also observed that such practices accomplish nothing. Now Jesus is advising that God the Heavenly Father already knows the needs of His children, so they don’t have to present long lists of requests. Far better to quietly and privately worship God than to emulate Zachariah and the other Pharisees.
How much do we need to pray? Prayer does not have to be burdensome nor super-formal. I spend much of my days working; however, I am always conscious that I am in the presence of God. Several times a day, I ask God for guidance or for healing for my patients. I ask God to heal family situations I witness. My continual prayer for our hospital is that it will become a place of God’s praise, a place of His glory, a place of health, a place of help, a place of hope, a place of healing, and a place of Shalom.
Oswald Chambers stresses that intercessory prayer is one of the most important kinds of prayer we can offer. One of the best prayers we can possible pray for ourselves or for anybody else is to ask that God’s perfect will will be done and that His kingdom will fully come in a given situation. When we pray this way, we are not playing games with God but allowing Him to determine the very best.
PRAYER: Father God, thank You for loving us and for caring for us. Lord, teach us to pray the prayers You want so that we will glorify You with our words and our actions. In the mighty and precious Name of King Jesus. Amen.
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