In Matthew 6, Jesus provided His disciples with an example of prayer (v 9-13). Eventually in our series looking at prayer we will devote an article to looking at the Lord’s prayer as worded in Matthew 6. However, herein we want to examine the verses just preceding the prayer. In Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus gave several important principles which will help us to pray as we ought.
Pomp versus Privacy
Of the first century religious leaders, Jesus would bluntly declare, “…all their works they do to be seen by men” (Matthew 23:5). He would then give multiple evidence of their conceit and egotism (v 5-28). In the context of our text in Matthew 6, Jesus warned about doing deeds to be seen by men (v 1-4), fasting to be seen by men (v 16-18), and praying to be seen by men (v 5-6). Notice:
“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 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.” (Matthew 6:5-6)
Prayer should be a private endeavour, not a public display. But the Pharisees, in their pursuit to be seen as devout and holy servants of God prayed openly to be seen by men. They were hypocrites!
in the synagogues
Of course, the synagogue was a place of prayer. Jesus was not condemning prayer at the synagogue, but the manner in which they prayed at the synagogue. They did not go to a private corner of the synagogue but would take a prominent place, for their concern was not to petition God but to appear pious before man. This could not be achieved in a dark corner of the synagogue – they had to be in the public eye. It may even be that if there were no audience present they would find no reason to pray.
on the corners of the streets
Though the Law did not regulate prayer, the Jewish people long had customary prayer times in the morning, afternoon, and evening. In Acts 3:1, “…Peter and John went up together to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour” (which is 3:00 p.m.). It is likely that devout Jews would keep these stipulated prayer times wherever they were (consider Daniel 6:10). It seems likely the Pharisees did their best to be in a public place when these scheduled prayer times occurred; thus, praying on the street corners to be seen by men.
Of course, the problem is not a prayer said in a public setting, whether it be the synagogue or the street; the problem was their prayer was not about speaking to God, but about being seen by people to be praying to God. Go ahead and offer thanks to God at the restaurant, but don’t make a display of it. Go ahead and find a place in the park to pray, but don’t do so to be seen in the public eye.
when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites
Understand how powerful a statement this is. He identified the religious leaders as hypocrites (actors, pretenders). They appeared to be righteous to the people, but were not. It was all for show. Recall the Pharisee in Luke 18 who “…prayed thus with himself…” God did not participate in their theater. The Lord does not hear the prayer of the self-righteous who are seeking men’s praise.
Thus Jesus pleads with us, do not be like them. Be sincere in prayer. Don’t pray to garner attention. Pray to be seen and heard by God, not by men. Where we pray is not important – how and why we pray is. Thus, the Lord said “…go into your room…” – seek a measure of privacy and solitude. Must we go into a room? No. Jesus went out to the mountain to pray (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46; Luke 6:12; 9:28; 21:37). The key is to converse with God, not to act before man.
Don’t Be A Broken Record
Prayer is communication with God. Effective communication does not happen if we’re using a series of catchphrases or slogans. Communication should come from the heart. Prayer to God is about expressing our gratitude to Him, pouring our hearts out in times of struggle, sharing our concerns with Him, declaring our praise to Him, confessing our sins to Him, etc.. Thus, Jesus spoke about our speech to God saying,
"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." (Matthew 6:7-8)
The English phrase “vain repetitions” translates the Greek word battologeo, which is derived from the name of a Greek poet (Battos) who was known for his long, weary and endless repetitive verses. Strong’s says of this word:
"from Battos (a proverbial stammerer) and logos; to stutter, i.e. (by implication) to prate tediously:- use vain repetations." (Strong's Concordence, Power BibleCD 5.9)
do not use vain repetitions
When you pray, don’t babble, don’t stammer, or as a few other translations would say, “do not heap up empty phrases” (English Standard Version), “do not say the same thing over and over again” (New Life Version), or don’t “say things that mean nothing” (New Century Version). Prayer is communication; endless repetitions are not communication. Recall in the showdown between Elijah and the prophets of Baal at Mount Carmel, the pagan prophets took the bull, prepared it, “…and called on the name of Baal from monring even till noon, saying, ‘O Baal, hear us!’ But there was no voice; no one answered” (1 Kings 18:26). All morning, “O Baal, hear us! O Baal, hear us! O Baal, hear us! O Baal, hear us!…” Before long, it becomes entirely void of meaning.
Endless repetitions do not make us holy; they do not bring us closer to God. They might create emotionalism; they may be hypnotic, but they are not spiritual. On the rare occasion, I’ve been at religious services where the speaker and/or folks in the crowd have repeatedly said, “Praise you, Jesus! Praise you, Jesus! Praise you, Jesus! Praise you, Jesus!…” or “Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord! Thank you, Lord!…” There is nothing of value, nothing that praises God or gives Him glory, when people stammer on in such a manner.
they think they will be heard for their many words
Jesus is not condemning long prayers. Sometimes a prayer may take all of 20 seconds (Jesus’ example of prayer in Matthew 6 takes about that to read); sometimes a prayer may take all night, as Jesus did on occasion. When we pray, use whatever time and words are needed to respectfully and diligently approach our Father in heaven. But don’t mock Him through lengthy prayers filled with vain repetition. Chattering away for the sake of chattering will not make a prayer acceptable to the Lord.
your Father in heaven knows
Adam Clarke’s Commentary notes:
"Prayer is not designed to inform God; but to give man a sight of his misery; to humble his heart, to excite his desire, to inflame his faith, to animate his hope, to raise his soul from earth to heaven, and to put him in mind that there is his Father, his country, his inheritance." (via Power BibleCD 5.9)
Prayer is for our benefit, not God’s. It builds our faith; it focuses our lives; it relieves our anxieties. And thus, as we pray, we should do so, not merely to speak words, but with purpose.
Prayer is not merely about receiving answers to requests. There are times when God cannot answer our prayers. He won’t force someone else’s will. He will not undo what has already happened. Prayer is not always about changes and answers. Sometimes it is about God’s consolation and comfort and presence. It may not take our sorrows away, but it will help us to deal with the sorrow. It may not solve the issues we face, but it will help us gain a measure of clarity. Speaking of one of the great benefits of prayer to us, the apostle Paul wrote “…the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:7). How does that work? I don’t know. Neither did Paul. But it absolutely works.
Prayer offers an exceptional opportunity for humanity, as lowly and as frail as we are, to speak with our Creator. It affords an opportunity to word petitions to Him, but that is nto the be-all-and-end-all of prayer. If asking God for answers and changes is the extent of our focus in prayer, we need to grow up. God knows what we need, what we desire, what we want before we open our mouths. So, why pray? Here are just a few reasons:
- It kindles the relationship between a Father and His child;
- It reminds us of our dependence upon our heavenly Father;
- It assures us of God’s presence, whether times are good or bad;
- It helps us to gain perspective on temporal things – to appreciate the eternal picture.
Conclusion
Paul Billheimer, a protestant evangelist from the mid-1900s is credited with saying:
"Satan does not care how many people read about prayer if only he can keep them from praying." (via azquotes.com)
Let’s not just study about prayer – we need to be praying. As with any topic, there is great value to dig into God’s word and see what He says; but it is of no value to know what He says if we will not do it.
Another protestant evangelist from the late 1800s, Robert Forman Horton, has written:
"Therefore, whether the desire for prayer is on you or not, get to your closet at the set time; shut yourself in with God; wait upon Him; seek His face; realize Him; pray." (via quotefancy.com)
Make a time for prayer and keep it. Learn to make prayer a habit, but more than a habit. May the desire and the practice of speaking to God become second nature to us, a fervent desire to have intimate time with the Almighty.
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This article appeared in Meditate On These Things, 2024-07
Links: YouVersion | GROW magazine
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