Why Pray | The Lord’s Prayer| Week 1
Series: The Lord’s Prayer | Week 1
Text: Matthew 6:5-8
Motives come before methods when we approach our Heavenly Father.
Drawing on Jesus’ warnings about hypocrisy and empty repetition, as well as examples from Abraham, Elijah, and church history, the message calls believers to pray with sincerity, humility, and a heart anchored in eternity. It invites listeners to see prayer not as performance or persuasion, but as relational communion with the Father who already knows, loves, and rewards those who seek Him.
Here’s a thought: We pray not to gain our Father’s love and approval but because we already have our Father’s love and approval through His Son, Jesus Christ.
I have read quite a bit about prayer, I have heard many messages on prayer, I have memorized Bible passages on prayer … and I have prayed privately and publicly. Still, I feel like I am just starting to scratch the surface. I feel like I am a toddler learning to walk in prayer. I do not in any way claim to be an expert or authority in this area.
When we talk about prayer, we gravitate to a discussion on how we should pray. We want to know how to connect with God and how to get our prayers answered. Jesus, however, would say, “Not so fast! Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Before we talk about how to pray let’s talk about why we pray.”
Listen to what Jesus teaches in Matthew 6:5-8:
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 men. I tell you the truth, 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. 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. NIV
Our Father calls us to value:
Eternity
A sundial is a timepiece that has the fewest number of moving parts. Which timepiece has the most moving parts? An hourglass.
In the Greek theatre, a hypocrite was one who wore a mask and played a part on the stage, imitating the speech, mannerisms, and conduct of the character portrayed (Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Dictionary). The best actors and actresses can play their character so well that when fans meet them on the street, they expect them to be not themselves but the character they played. Even though the viewers know it is an act, it becomes believable and real in our minds. Like an actor in a show, people can look and sound very religious but lack sincerity and genuineness.
The problem is not public prayer, for God’s people have prayed together for thousands of years. The problem is the motive for prayer, and in this case a hypocrite would pray not to be seen and heard by God but by other people. When we think of a hypocrite, we think of someone who is “two-faced”. Jesus had just talked in Matthew 6 about doing acts of righteousness and giving publicly to be seen by men. Again, He is not prohibiting doing acts of righteousness and giving publicly. He is saying that we should be righteous, generous and prayerful privately first. Who we are and what we do and say publicly should be an overflow of who we are and what we do and say privately.
This theme runs throughout the Bible, as the Lord says repeatedly and in different ways that He is much more concerned with our hearts than with how we appear on the outside. If we think we can get away with religious observances just to impress the One who knows our thoughts and intents we are just fooling ourselves and maybe the people around us.
Maybe you remember the word “congruent” from high school geometry, which refers to two figures that are the same shape and size. Our private and public lives should be congruent, reflecting agreement or harmony. It is a terrible tragedy when it is discovered after someone died that he or she lived a secret life that would not strike a chord with how they lived within the sight and hearing of other people. A lifetime of positive influence can be unravelled with such discoveries.
Greek prayers would include many titles of the god being addressed in an attempt to get the god’s attention. These prayers often reminded the god of favours done or sacrifices offered, claiming “repayment” for good deeds done. Such prayers revealed more of a business or contractual interaction than a close relationship. The modern saying “You scratch my back and I’ll scratch yours” would describe the underlying attitude here.
Why the hypocrisy? Why the lengthy showy impressive prayers? It boils down to seeking temporal rather than eternal rewards. If we believe that instant gratification here and now is what matters most, we will make daily choices to seek fame, fortune or simply affirmation from other human beings. On the other hand, if we live with eternity’s values in view our dreams and our priorities change completely.
George Whitefield (1714–1770) was one of the most gifted and effective preachers in history, leading thousands to faith in Jesus. But his life wasn’t without controversy. His practice of preaching outdoors (to accommodate large crowds) was sometimes criticized by those who questioned his motives and felt he should speak only within the four walls of a church building. Whitefield’s epitaph sheds light on his response to others’ harsh words: “I am content to wait till the Day of Judgment for the clearing up of my character; and after I am dead, I desire no other epitaph than this, ‘Here lies George Whitefield - what sort of a man he was, the great day will discover.’” (From "Refuge for the Rejected", Our Daily Bread, April 9th, 2021)
Looking at God’s grand eternal scheme will reshape our prayer life, beginning with our motivation to pray. No longer will it matter what others think of our prayers. We will no longer pray by sight but by faith. We will see prayer not as never-ending petitions to get what we want but as fellowship and partnership with our Heavenly Father. We will become much less concerned about what we want and much more focused on what He wants. We will enjoy His “presence” more than His “presents”. We will seek His face (who He is) much more than His hand (what He does)
Hebrews 11:6 describes our high calling this way:
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him. NIV
In a world that values action and production, prayer is seen as a waste of time and money. In a world that values recreation, prayer is seen as boring and repetitive. What we do privately reveals who and what we think is important. This is why Jesus teaches in what we read in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” NIV
This could have been a storeroom because most people did not have private rooms in their houses, and only that room would have a door on it. While we are called to pray continually (1 Thessalonians 5:17) in the everyday activities of life, we do well to set aside a time and space regularly to meet with God. Such a meeting place need not be fancy or overly comfortable, but it should be private and quiet, a setting where we will not be disturbed or distracted. This provides us with the opportunity to talk to the Lord and to hear His voice.
Prayer is being with God and doing with God. It is touching Him and letting Him touch us. I find this hard to comprehend, but the creator of the universe hears the prayers of His people and responds to the prayers of His people. We see in Genesis 18 that Abraham interceded on behalf of the wicked cities of Sodom and Gomorrah and the Lord was willing to change His plans for judgment as a result of Abraham’s petitions. Through prayer we can seek the face of God and move the hand of God.
Jesus promises that our Father will reward us for praying in secret. While those who pray so others will hear and see have already received their reward – instant recognition that evaporates like steam from a kettle – we can receive eternal recognition from the One who never passes away. I know of no better investment than one that pays never-ending dividends in the kingdom of heaven.
What adjustments do you need to make to focus more on eternity and less on what is here today and gone tomorrow? How will these adjustments affect your motivation to pray?
Our Father calls us to value:
Eternity
and
Simplicity
Why did the chicken cross the road? To get to the other side is the most common answer, however this answer leaves a great deal of room for interpretation. As noted historian and sociologist Ian Ormwell stated, "A joke cannot be taken at face value; all jests are subjective in their appearance and impact." Contrasting this view, the philosopher Ben Hoovian posited, "All things being equal, a joke must remain in its proper context. A joke with no context is not a joke." The issue was finally settled by post-modernist Irma J. King, who unequivocally stated, "It is the nature of humans to analyze, and all literature created should be subject to analysis." (For a more complete treatment on the subject I strongly recommend reading her seminal book "6000 Years of Humour and Counting: Humour's influence on Human Civilization.")
As for the original chicken joke, the most common interpretation would be to take the joke at face value: we are dealing with a "real" chicken and road. The humour of the joke is based on its simplicity: while most jokes rely on the extraordinary, the humour of this joke is based on the ordinary.
Of course, one does not need to take the joke at face value. The chicken and the road can be viewed metaphorically. What if the chicken is a metaphorical coward, and is a human rather than an avian. The humour is then based not on the randomness of chicken desires, but becomes an example of cowardice and retreat.
Even deeper, the road could be a metaphor for a dividing line, perhaps "the other side" is some kind of forbidden knowledge, perhaps even death. The simplicity of the joke reinforces the listener's ignorance; the joke raises more questions than answers. Sadly, we may never know. Obviously, more research is needed as to WHY the chicken crossed the road. But what kind of road is it? What kind of chicken is it? And if "the other side" is indeed death, what are the implications for our own existence?
There is much to be said for simplicity! Jesus compares and contrasts the Jewish religious leaders along with the pagans (Greeks, Romans and other groups who believed in and even prayed to gods) with the Lord’s original purpose for prayer. Religious groups – even well-intentioned people – were missing the point and were guilty of two great faults in prayer: vain-glory and vain repetitions.
Unlike the Greeks, the Jewish people listening to Jesus deliver what we now call His Sermon on the Mount here in Matthew chapters 5 through 7 would have recognized that God knew everything. The Jews saw God as their Father who delighted in meeting their needs and they believed He knew their thoughts. This foundation led to a much different understanding of prayer than the Greeks, who thought they had to do or say things for their gods to have their prayers answered.
A classic example of frantic pagans praying to a false god is found in Elijah's confrontation with the 450 prophets of Baal in 1 Kings 18:25-29:
25 Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, “Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.” 26 So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. “O Baal, answer us!” they shouted. But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. 27 At noon Elijah began to taunt them. “Shout louder!” he said. “Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.” 28 So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. 29 Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention. NIV
After drenching the sacrificial bull and altar with water, Elijah prayed a simple prayer and the Lord answered with fire from heaven that consumed the bull, the altar and all the water. The Bible (in James 5:17) reminds us that Elijah was a man just like us, yet he answered God’s call to pray. He is drawing us by His Spirit so we would come to Him. There is a time and place for fervent prayer, but we don’t need to feel like we have to beg and plead with God to get His attention.
Nelson's New Illustrated Bible Commentary explains, "Prayer is not conquering God's reluctance to answer, but laying hold of His willingness to help!"
Resting in such confidence allows us to approach our Heavenly Father by faith rather than by good works. We don’t need to stress and strain to get His attention and His favour, but talk to Him knowing that Jesus is our great sinless high priest who enables us to approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need (Hebrews 4:14-16). We pray not to gain our Father’s love and approval but because we already have our Father’s love and approval through His Son, Jesus Christ.
The call to simplicity includes a call to plain, simple speech when we address our Heavenly Father, but this starts, again, with a heart attitude. What can be purer and simpler than a child? Listen to how Jesus cuts through the complicated adult pride and competitiveness in Matthew 18:1-4:
1 At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, “Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?” 2 He called a little child and had him stand among them. 3 And he said: “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore, whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.” NIV
The door to simplicity is marked “humility”. When we throw aside our pride and pretense before our Father, He welcomes us with great joy. When our hearts and prayers are clean and uncluttered, we can begin to look at how we ought to pray.
How do you see yourself when you pray? How does our Father see you when you pray?
I feel like a toddler when it comes to learning how to pray. There’s a part of me that feels discouraged by this. After all these years of following Jesus I should know more, do more and be better at it. It’s embarrassing. There’s another part of me that thinks this feeling might be a good thing. I am a disciple - I am a learner - who doesn’t know it all. In fact, the more I know the more I know I don’t know. I can ask, like the disciples did in Luke 11:1, “Lord, teach us – teach me - to pray.”
Our Father calls us to value:
Eternity
and
Simplicity
Motives come before methods when we approach our Heavenly Father.