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5 “Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 7 When you pray, don’t babble like the Gentiles, since they imagine they’ll be heard for their many words. 8 Don’t be like them, because your Father knows the things you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:5-8
Have you ever been lax in your regular rhythms of car maintenance and upkeep? If so, you might have found yourself driving one day without thinking about your car and suddenly all attention is on the dreaded check engine light. In one minute, your car went from being the furthest care from your mind to front and center. Now, you are simultaneously driving and running through all the possible problems. Next, you find yourself at a shop where the mechanic runs a diagnostic on the car to evaluate what exactly the problem is.
If we find ourselves without regular rhythms of prayer in our lives, then our prayer life can become sporadic and reactive instead of a daily proactive part of life. These words from Jesus in Matthew 6:5-8 teach us some important truths about prayer. These truths should be considered as we seek to grow in our walk with the LORD.
This text is not against praying in public. There are several times throughout the scriptures that speak to corporate prayer, or individual praying publicly. This text highlights the importance of private prayer because what we do in private has a way of coming out in public. Yet these principles are important no matter where you are or who might be listening. I think these words of Jesus should give us three critical diagnostic questions to evaluate our own prayer life and see if it is healthy or in need of repair.
Is Prayer A Regular Rhythm Of Our Day?
Jesus expects prayer from his disciples. He said, “whenever you pray”, not if you pray. The truth is, why wouldn’t we pray? We have an open line to the Creator of all the universe. Jesus is our Great High Priest! Prayer should be a natural rhythm in a believer’s life. But why does it become sporadic and reactive? Sometimes, just like with our cars, we trust God to get us from point A to point B, and prayer turns into something we do when the light comes on in between. This isn’t what Jesus expects from his followers. He doesn’t expect us to pray just when everything is falling apart along the way. No, he desires for us to talk to him all along the way as if we are on a road trip together. If you have regular maintenance on your car, issues may still arise. Don’t be mistaken. If you regularly pray, you still will have your own set of issues. Yet through prayer, we will be strengthened to face them. We should walk out our doors prayed up.
If this is something you struggle with, start small. As you get ready for the day, start with an on and off again prayer to God for the day ahead. Then in the evening, as you prepare for bed, do the same. This does not have to be long, just consistent.
Who Do We Pray To?
This seems common, right? Yet, Jesus makes it painfully obvious that we should not be worried about what earthly ears think when we pray. Prayers should not be a moment to showcase one’s eloquence or a time to be afraid to speak up. God knows our hearts and thoughts. He knows if we are authentically praying to him. If you are worried about what others might think about how your prayer sounds, here is the advice: don’t worry. I know that sounds easier said than done. You are not praying to them. Their approval means nothing.
If this is something you’ve thought about before praying, why? Often our pride gets in the way. We think too much of ourselves or too little when we should be thinking about God. Sometimes we need to be silent and pray and other times we need to speak up. In either case, we need to submit humbly to God.
What Are The Intentions Behind Our Prayers?
Are we just going through the motions? In school, it was common to have a word count I would need to meet in writing a paper. If I wasn’t careful, I might spend more time trying to hit a count instead of writing intentionally on the paper. Sometimes, I would overshoot and have to edit the paper back down, finding I was repetitive and not as precise as I should have been if I had been less concerned with the word count and just focused on the topic at hand.
God is not interested in the quantity of our words, but in the quality of our words. No, this doesn’t mean they need to be “poetic”. It means they need to be authentic. When we pray, it needs to sound like us. We need to sound like men and women praying to our heavenly Father. We should pray like we are sitting down and having coffee with Jesus. Don’t waste words. He isn’t impressed with the words, but the heart behind them.
This last one might strike a chord. You might want to write your prayers down for a time. As you do this, you will begin to notice your repetition and start to seek precision. Maybe writing your prayers isn’t for you. Instead, I would suggest praying through the Psalms. This practice will force you to pray differently and to search your life in a way that aligns with scripture.
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