When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who pray… where everyone can see them. When you pray… pray to your Father in private. When you pray, don’t babble on and on… your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom … May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but rescue us from the evil one … (Matthew 6:5-15).
Jesus is teaching us about prayer in these verses.
- We believe God hears what we pray even when we pray in secret.
- We do not pray for public show but so we will be heard by God.
Jesus is our example of when, where and how to pray. When he prayed, it was often…
- alone
- in a quiet place
- with deep emotion and intimate language
- He called God, “Abba Father,” literally “Daddy”
- with force and persistence
- with holiness and godly fear.
This is a good pattern for us to follow. We can look for a quiet place, take our Bible and pour out our hearts to God in a godly and reverent way.
The words are not that important. God understands us. We can speak in a way that is respectful and truthful and yet bold and express to God what is on our hearts. He is our Father and He wants children that are willing to speak what is in their heart to Him.