91. The Christian's Prayer

Matthew 6:5-15, Luke 11:1-4, James 5:13-18,

Key Verse: One of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples." Luke 11:1 B

Such an odd request from those immersed in the religious society of Jesus' day. They saw prayer all around them. They participated in uttering formal prayer, such as the Shema, a prayer that serves as a centerpiece of the morning and evening Jewish prayer services. The first verse encapsulates the monotheistic essence of Judaism: "Hear, O Israel: the LORD is our God, the LORD is one," found in Deuteronomy 6:4.  Observant Jews consider the Shema to be the most important part of the prayer service in Judaism, and its twice-daily recitation as a mitzvah (religious commandment). It is traditional for Jews to say the Shema as their last words, and for parents to teach their children to say it before they go to sleep at night.

All good Jews would pause each morning and evening, from what they were doing, to pray during the time of the morning and evening sacrifices at the temple. Their life was full of prayer! Yet, in Jesus, there was something different, thus prompting His disciples to request, "Lord, teach us to pray like you."

Jesus began by telling them how to pray, and when. First of all, don't pray to show off and impress others. God does not listen to that kind of prayer.  Secondly, pray with sincerity. Don't be a hypocrite. Remember, Jesus' word for hypocrite is the same as an actor on a stage who is going through the expected motions, even if he doesn't mean a word of it. Jesus says, don't do that either. Mean what you pray and pray what you intend!

Finally, Jesus gives an instruction that is very misunderstood in today's western culture when He says, "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." (Matthew 6:6). When we hear this instruction, with our western ears, we imagine going off by ourselves, into a bedroom, or some other private place in the home, and praying privately to God. What we need to realize is that no one had a private room in a house in Israel, especially among the poor. 

A Jewish house usually only had one room. Sleep took place on a small raised platform while the chickens and, possibly some other livestock wandered around on the dirt floor below. The place where conversation might take place, such as in our modern day living room, for the people of Israel, took place on the roof.  So Jesus’ main point must not be secret prayer, but rather, not public prayer done to be seen. But this does not mean no public prayer. It just requires the right attitude.

Also, if Jesus meant for us to only pray privately, why then would the prayer that He gave as an example include words that we would consider group speak? "Our Father," "Give us," "Forgive us," "Lead us." These are not the words of an individual, but a community.

We must assume then that, considering Jesus' warnings about being sincere, and avoiding hypocrisy, that Jesus is more concerned about the condition of our heart when we pray. God sees our heart. He knows our inner longings and deep desires. He knows of your sincerity or lack of it whether in public or in private. And your heavenly Father, who sees you in secret, does hear and reward you according to His will.

Finally, I refer to this prayer as, "The Christian's prayer," because this is the type of prayer that a follower of Christ should model his or her prayer after. We call it, "The Lord's prayer," but the true Lord's prayer does not occur until Jesus is in the garden of Gethsemane in John 17. The prayer that He taught us here in Matthew 6 & Luke 11, is our prayer, a pattern for daily prayer for us as Christians, hence, the Christian's prayer. Remember Christ's words of caution about vain repetition and His warning about knowing the heart's true condition. This prayer is not a good luck charm or an immediate blessing because you said it. Through the next few days, we will examine just what this prayer means so that we can use it more appropriately and mean it more sincerely in our worship of Him.

Hymn: "The Lord’s Prayer"