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. Matthew 6:6 NLT
Read Matthew 6
Immediately following His instructions on giving alms in secret, Jesus uses the same concept concerning prayer. Just like making a big production of our giving defeats the purpose, it is the same with prayer. If our purpose is to use a bunch of spiritual sounding words for the benefit of those who hear us, then we have lost communication with the only One who matters!
I have heard of people who have been described as “mighty prayer warriors who could pray the power of God down!” You know the type! And, some of them can too! I admire that! However, I have to question why they are described this way. Is it because these prayer warriors have the faith to move mountains, and they do, or is it because they know how to use all the right spiritual catch phrases with just the right vocal inflections. They know when to raise their voices and to shout with authority. They can interject just the right amount of emotion in their voices and know how to contort their faces just enough to spark excitement in everyone around them.
There is a difference! One type is a genuine, faith-filled prayer warrior who is just having a conversation with God. That is the kind of prayer warrior I want to be! The other is an empty shell of hype and emotion, and they are merely putting on a show to bring out a desired response from others. We must be careful not to be deceived. We also must be careful not to measure our own prayers against these mockers.
Jesus called them hypocrites and warned us not to be like them. They stood on the street corners to be seen by others. They thought they were impressive with their repetitive phrases. They wanted to look so devout and holy, but it was all superficial. Nothing has changed in today’s churches either! What impresses God is prayer that stems from a genuine and devoted heart.
In a recent Bible study, I asked if anyone would like to close our session in prayer. Not one person spoke up. They said things like, “I don’t pray well enough to pray in front of people.” I thought, well, it’s only a conversation with the One who knows you better than anyone in the entire world. You don’t have to impress Him! However, their concern wasn’t what God would think of their prayer; they were uncomfortable with what the others would think of their prayer. They were comparing themselves with those who merely appear to have it all together spiritually.
Listen, the show-offs don’t have the corner market on God! Just because they know how to work it I public does not mean that God is pleased. God loves you, just the way you are. He wants you to come to Him without any pretense or show. If you want to truly communicate with God, it comes from the heart. Just talk to Him, and listen to Him. Go into a private place and spend time alone with God. Put no thought into what anyone else would think of your prayers. It’s none of their business!
We’ll talk more next time about the how-to’s of prayer. But for now, let’s make sure our hearts and our motivation for prayer are pure.
Wow Shari, this is your best post yet! Very real, to the point, and solid. I feel that people need to learn that prayer is just a conversation with God and Jesus that is shared and communicated for others. I used to be afraid to pray openly too but once someone opened my eyes that prayer is always perfect and needed in any positive form it changed my thinking. Thanks today for opening so many Sisters’ perspectives. Love you and be blessed.
Thank you! I’m glad this post was encouraging, and I hope it will help other women become more comfortable with praying publicly. Thanks for the encouragement!