One of the most common insecurities Christians have is not knowing how to pray, especially in public. I used to say that the only “wrong” way to pray was to not pray at all.
Because Jesus interprets our prayers for us, and the fact that God knows our hearts before we even pray, it seemed like a logical conclusion.
While that thinking seems to make sense, it conflicts with what Jesus Himself says about prayer. In fact, Jesus makes it pretty clear that there actually is a right and wrong way to pray.
And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words. So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:5-8, NASB).
In this passage, as Jesus instructs us on how to pray, I think it’s important to point out what He isn’t talking about before we talk about what He is talking about.
1. Jesus Is Not Talking about the Form of Prayer
There are many different kinds of prayer, depending on our situation and what we are praying about. Sometimes our prayers come out as bold, passionate pleas, asking the Lord to move in a situation or specific area.
Sometimes, our prayers are more of a whisper, almost afraid to even say out loud what’s on our hearts. And sometimes, our prayers are nothing more than weeping.
Allow me to let you in on a little secret: none of those matter. What matters is that the posture of your heart is pointing towards the Lord. What matters is the fact that you are praying at all. What matters is that He hears you.
2. Jesus Is Not Talking about the Length of Prayer
We all know people who seem to think there is a direct connection between the length of their prayers and how effective those prayers are.
The reality is, Jesus is actually talking about the opposite here. Good theology means you don’t need a lot of different words. We can’t forget that God already knows what’s in our hearts.
3. Jesus Is Not Talking about the Kinds of Words Used in Prayer
God is not as concerned about our vocabulary as He knows our emotions. If you are concerned that you don’t know the right words to say, let me reassure you that the Lord delights simply in hearing your voice.
So, what is Jesus talking about in this passage?
He’s talking about your heart. He is talking about the motivation behind the prayer.
There are a couple of things that are happening culturally in this passage that I want to make sure we don't miss.
The priests of Baal (one of the false gods that they worshipped at the time) would cry out to Baal from morning until noon.
You can read more about that in 1 Kings. Or those who worshiped Artemis would shout out their prayers for two hours at a time.
The original audience of this message would know those things, and they would recognize the difference between the way the “hypocrites” prayed and what Jesus was talking about.
The comparison would bring a certain level of shame as they copied what others did. But the point Jesus was trying to make is that it is more about quality than it is quantity.
See, the “pagans” were trying desperately to get attention from those around them, more than they were trying to get their god’s attention.
Some of them were even trying to manipulate their god into answering their prayers by praying for so long. Jesus was trying to help them understand that things were different with Him.
What Is the Right Way to Pray?
Aim for an audience of one.
God longs to be involved in our lives in a deeply intimate way. He longs to help us go through whatever it is that we are going through.
When we resist praying because we are intimidated or think we don’t know how we are resisting the only relationship that can truly help us.
Even one word can be a prayer. You don’t need a ton of words to get God’s attention.
You already have it.
For further reading:
3 Things to Remember When You Share Your Faith with Others
How Do We Honor Our Father and Mother if They Were Abusive?
Why Do We Pray the Scriptures?
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