Over the next few weeks, we’ll take a brief look at the Lord’s Prayer found in Matthew 6:9:-13 and look at how Jesus taught his followers to pray. The “Lord’s Prayer” (or maybe another name could be the “Disciples’ Prayer”) lies at the heart of Jesus’ teachings found in Matthew 5-7, famously known as the “Sermon on the Mount.” In these chapters, Jesus explains what living in God’s kingdom is like. To live in God’s kingdom is to live a life of human flourishing that has been set free under the good, right and perfect rule of Jesus. It’s to live a life in the here-and-now that reflects to the world what God is like and that God is King over all things. Jesus teaches that prayer is essential for living a flourishing life in God’s kingdom, and that prayer transforms us inside and out.
Before we dig into the first part of the Lord’s Prayer, maybe we should start by asking a question: What should prayer be like? In Matthew 6: 5-6, Jesus says this to his disciples:
5 “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. 6 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.
A few things to note: (1) Jesus expects that we pray. Notice that he says, “when you pray,” not “if you pray.” Jesus expects his followers to pray. (2) Jesus is not prohibiting public prayer. We see Jesus praying regularly in public throughout the gospel narratives, and public prayer gatherings were a regular feature of his disciples. We also see the early church described in the New Testament as a people of public prayer. So this was important to Jesus as well.
What Jesus is getting at in these verses is the motives behind our prayers. Another way to say it is to ask, why do we pray? It’s clear that there were many surrounding Jesus and his community who were praying so that they could impress people. Whether they were praying in the synagogue or the public square, it was evident that they were praying so that others would be impressed. Prayer is not for impressing people.
Why do we pray?
Jesus is also teaching us that our prayers shouldn’t be motivated by trying to impress God. Prayer is not for impressing God. Look again at what Jesus says in verse 7: “do not keep babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” It was prevalent in pagan religions at the time to believe that if I prayed with the right words and repeated them often enough, the gods might be obligated to grant me my requests. In other words, I was hoping I could manipulate the gods with my ritualistic prayers.
God isn’t looking to have His arm twisted, bargained with, or manipulated. God doesn’t require a flawless recitation of specific phrases, as if he were poised to fly into a rage in the absence of the right formula or performance. Instead, Jesus will go on to tell us that God is our “Father” who rewards us with his favor and love and knows our every need even before we come to him in prayer. The late, great theologian John Stott stated that God “is neither ignorant so that we need to instruct him, nor hesitant that we need to persuade him.”
The motive of our prayers is not to impress God but to commune with God. The motive is to grow in relationship with him. Prayer is a rhythm of relationship with God! That’s what prayer should be. It’s not about trying to impress people or trying to impress God. It’s about a rhythm of relationship that trusts God with everything that matters to us. And we can come before him in prayer with confidence because Jesus has provided the way for us to have direct access to God at any time. What good news!
Next week we’ll begin to dig into the specifics of the Lord’s Prayer, but for now, ask yourself these questions:
Why do I pray?
Why do I not pray?
Be honest with God, and take your concerns, hopes, and questions to him. Take ten minutes a day this week to ask God to give you the desire to pray. Ask him to open your eyes to his glory and to know that he wants to commune with you through prayer. Trust him!
In prayer with you, FBC!
–Pastor Wade