THE MODEL PRAYER - Part 1 (Matthew 6:5-15)
This is part 1 of a deep dive into Matthew 6:5-15. These verses are very familiar to us as it is the model prayer that Christ is teaching to His disciples.
In this post, we’ll be discussing Christ’s commands of what not to do when it comes to prayer.
The first what not to do can be found in verses 5 and 6 below.
(vs. 5,6) “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
Christ tells His disciples not to be like hypocrites who pray in public. The Jews of that time would wither pray in the synagogue or in the streets during the appointed prayer times. This was at 9 AM, noon, and 3 PM. These were all times when a lot of people would be present. They always had an audience. These kinds of prayers in general were done not to be really heard by God but to gain appreciation from men. Praying publicly in this kind of manner would show others how “spiritual” you were or how learned you were by your vocabulary. This kind of prayer is of no use to God. They were not pouring out their hearts before their Maker. They were simply doing what they could to receive man’s praise. This is an insult to God! Therefore it is the first command Christ gives His disciples in regard to prayer. This is exactly what NOT to do!
So what should we do? We should go to a private place to communicate with God. Not only going into your own room but shutting the door so that the only ones involved in the prayer are yourself and God. That shows a level of intimate, personal conversation and fellowship with God that cannot be attained by praying on a busy street. When we decide to have a personal conversation with a loved one, do we broadcast it in front of an audience? No, of course not! So then how much more private should our conversation be when we are speaking with our Heavenly Father. It doesn’t require an audience. It is simply us pouring out our hearts in supplication to God.
The second what not to do when praying is found in verses 7 and 8 below.
(vs. 7,8) And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
Christ tells His disciples not to use vain repetitions when praying as the heathen does. In those times, Gentiles would pray to their false gods simply by repeating the same phrases over and over again. We can see in 1 Kings 18:26 that the prophets of Baal cried out his name for half a day with no response. Also in Acts 19:34, the Greeks cried out about their goddess Diana for 2 hours using the same phrase. That is not real prayer. It is just a chant, words without meaning. God the Father does not want His children to pray to Him in that manner.
Our conversation with God must come from the heart. It doesn’t matter how many words we use or how robust our vocabulary is. All that matters is the quality of our conversation. That is really what prayer is. It is a conversation between a loving Father and His children. We wouldn’t use a memorized script when speaking with a friend or coworker, so why would we when we’re speaking to our Creator?
In verse 8, Christ also reminds His disciples that these prayers are not because we need to inform God of what our needs are. God is Omniscient, all-knowing. He knows our needs before we even think of them. The purpose of our prayer is to have communication with God and maintain a relationship with Him.
Tune in for part 2 on verses 9-13.
