I want to revisit Matthew 6:5 and Jesus’ warning not become
a “hypocrite”:
Likewise,
when you pray, do not be as hypocrites who love to pray loudly at synagogue or
on street corners—their concern is to be seen by men. They have already earned
their reward.
As I start to “learn” how to pray better this is on my brain
constantly. I wonder if at least blogging about it is wrong and making me
pretentious. I don’t know, but typing gets me thinking and if it helps me maybe
it can help others. So I will continue the march.
I really think it is a heart issue and Luke 18:10-14
clarifies this a bit:
Jesus: 10 Imagine
two men walking up a road, going to the temple to pray. One of them
is a Pharisee and the other is a despised tax collector. 11 Once
inside the temple, the Pharisee stands up and prays this prayer in honor of
himself: “God, how I thank You that I am not on the same level as other
people—crooks, cheaters, the sexually immoral—like this tax collector over
here. 12 Just look at me!I fast not
once buttwice a week, and I faithfully pay my tithes on every penny of
income.” 13 Over in the corner, the tax collector
begins to pray, but he won’t even lift his eyes to heaven. He pounds on his
chest in sorrowand says, “God, be merciful to me, a sinner!”
14 Now
imagine these two men walking back down the road to their homes. Listen,
it’s the tax collector who walks home clean before God, and not the Pharisee,
because whoever lifts himself up will be put down and whoever takes a humble
place will be lifted up.
The key is where your heart is even if the prayers may seem
sincere the heart may be thinking “look at me”. No matter what I tend to
believe prayer should be personal and in a quiet place. Sure corporate prayer
may be good in certain circumstances but most often asking others to pray for
you is really the best. Matthew 6:6 solidifies this concept:
When you pray, go into a private
room, close the door, and pray unseen to your Father who is unseen. Then your
Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.
So learn to pray from the Lord’s Prayer using it as a model
to ensure you have the components. I tend to believe public prayer should be
reserved for petitions to God for miracles, like a healing. Now that opens up another
subject altogether.