Matthew 6:5-8

Rachel Workman: 5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

7 “When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!

God isn't about rituals. Why do churches insist on keeping them? What God wants from us is a relationship. An interactive relationship. And I think a lot of people who pray publicly are looking for prestige. They want other people to view them as better than what they are. In a way they use God to their own advantage.

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John Burnett:  ⁵ “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 ^[a]so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. ⁶ But 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.  Verse 5 is brutally honest about prayer and how honest it needs to be.  It is sad to see men like Osteen and Duplantis pray on TV knowing that they have their reward in full as they sit.  They do not the consequences of teaching a false gospel but I feel sorry for them as they have been deceived and deceive others.  Verse 6 is a great reminder of how important quiet times are for our wellbeing now and in the future.  It also serves as a reminder that God sees everything we do and think in secret.  Thankfully we have God’s grace through His son Jesus Christ and even though he sees what we are doing, He doesn’t hold it against us because we are imputed Christ’s righteousness, His perfect record is by our name in the book of life.

⁷ “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. ⁸ So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.  These verses are why I don’t like repeating prayers like those in the back of Hymnals.  When do you read aloud to your friends or your parents?  Our God is alive and wants to have a vibrant and active relationship with us, not one that is boring and repetitive.  If you think about creation, there is not one thing that is the same.  Why people think God wants to hear the same prayer over and over again is beyond my understanding.  Verse 8 should be very comforting to us.  He already knows what we need and that is what he is going to give us.

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Allen Michaels:  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. Some people, especially the religious leaders, wanted to be seen as “holy,” and public prayer was one way to get attention. Jesus saw through their self-righteous acts, however, and taught that the essence of prayer is not public style but private communication with God. There is a time and place for public prayer, but to pray where others will notice you indicates that your real audience is not God. ⁷ And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. ⁸ Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Repeating the same words over and over like a magic incantation is no way to ensure that God will hear your prayer, it’s not wrong to come to God many times with the same requests—Jesus encourages persistent prayer. But he condemns the shallow repetition of words that are not offered with a sincere heart. We can never pray too much if our prayers are honest and sincere. Before you start to pray, make sure you mean what you say.

I’ve got a confession to make. It’s hard for me to pray to God because I can’t see him. I can talk to people. But I can see people. And I can’t see God. So it’s really hard for me to pray to the unseen God. When I’m praying all by myself, I get easily distracted. My mind wanders. Suddenly I realize that somewhere about 5 minutes ago I must have stopped praying. Praying with other people is an option I guess, but only if we’re there for a common purpose. That would probably help me focus on prayer.

Another way we can keep your focus on God during prayer: pray out loud, even if we’re alone and no one else but God is listening. Our hidden place doesn’t need to be in a closet. It doesn’t even need to be indoors! We could go for a walk and talk to God. We might look a little strange to the neighbors, but so what? Talking out loud helps me have a conversation with a God that I cannot see.