GOD'S PRAYER

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. 

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him."

Matthew 6:5-8

PRAYER: OUR DESIRES SATISFIED IN GOD

There is a deep desire in each of us to be seen, to be wanted, to be loved. 

The church often casts these desires as dark ones that need to be denied or supressed.  But what if this desire isn’t inherently evil or dark? What if our shadow sides—what Paul calls ‘the flesh’—hijacked this good desire and joined forces with the powers and principalities to lead us to believe that we can have these desires met in anything other than God himself? 

What if it’s not a matter of suppression or denial but one of re-directing our desires, re-animating them, finding their true source and end. As Augustine writes, “You have made us for yourself, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.”

So the life as apprenticeship to Jesus is not necessarily about denying our good desires; rather it is much more about finding our desires truly satisfied in Jesus (Psalm 16:11). This makes the Lord’s Prayer is a pathway towards rehabilitating our desire to be seen, known, and loved. 

We must first understand the overall thrust of the sermon Jesus preached where we find these words (The Sermon on the Mount) if we’re to allow these words to heal our brokenness. 

Jesus’s sermon is designed to help us live integrated lives that lead to the flourishing of ourselves, families, communities, and world. And one of the ways we are healed is by praying in order to cultivate communion with Jesus rather than acclaim from others. It so happens to be that the Creator designed us to be seen by him and that is the place where our deepest needs can be met. 

And so Jesus assumes that we will pray. 

HOW NOT TO PRAY

Jesus goes on to paint two pictures of how not to pray before he gifts us the Lord’s Prayer. 

First, we can pray as a 'hypocrite'. 

A hypocrite was a play actor who would literally 'put on a face' for theatre. The person was there to play a role and entertain; and prayer is neither. 

Do you find yourself praying in front of others in order to impress them? Do you lean towards praying like a religious hypocrite? 

Second, we can pray as a 'Gentile'. 

And here we say, "Hold up Jesus ... I am a Gentile!" (A Gentile was a term used for anyone who was not Jewish.) 

But it’s about what Gentile prayers were known for: long and elaborate for the sake of getting the attention of the one to whom their prayers were directed. 

Do you find yourself vying for the attention of the Father the same way kids try to get their phone-obsessed Dad’s attention? Do you lean towards praying like a Gentile?

This is Jesus’s word for you today: relax. 

As Eugene Peterson renders this text: “With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply.” 

So be comforted. God sees you. God wants you. God loves you. And his desire is that you would simply pull up a seat … and speak, simply because he enjoys spending time with you. 

May this truth set your heart ablaze for the glory of God.