Matthew 6:5-15
Is there a right way to pray? I think there is. In Matthew 9 He says, "Our Father." We have some prayer warriors in our church today and I'm thankful but all of us have a chance to become prayer warriors. What better example do we have in prayer than Jesus? He always said, "Father, by your will."
Jesus is talking in Verse 5 - These are strong words - He's telling you to pray not like the hypocrites are. If you're praying in public so others can see you pray, then Jesus said, that you already have your reward: you were seen. We should communicate with God as Jesus did, in private.
Vrs 6 - He's not saying go build a closet, I mean I've prayed many times driving down the road. What He means is you need a quiet place to commune with God so that it's just you and God in the conversation and not you and the whole world. I like to pray early in the morning. I pray all day but my best and favorite time to pray is in the morning, when no one is up. It doesn't matter what we say in words, it's the condition of your heart. You'll grow in your prayers. Just like raising babies and teaching them prayers. If we don't pray to God every single day, then we're not communicating to the father above and you're not growing your relationship.
It's not that God doesn't know what we need, but why does He want us to communicate with Him? One reason is that it shows that we're submissive to His will.
Vrs 7 - Don't just say the same words over and over again in each "prayer" and think God will listen. You can start with those words but it's not what you say, it's your heart condition. Do you believe Jesus died for you? If yes, then tell Him. You have to surrender your heart to God. Does He want to hear a "canned" prayer? Or does He want to hear how your day has been? Does He want to hear how you're feeling about what you're going through? Tell God the Father, "I need you." Tell Jesus, "Thank you for what you did, I love you, I need you" and He is with you. You don't have to recite a sonnet but surrender your heart to Him and He's there. He's never left you but you will know, that you know, that you know that He's there.
Vrs 8 - He knows what you need but He wants you to know what you need and He wants us to learn that if we don't ask, we'll never receive. Be specific what you're asking God for. We need to be under conviction when we pray. You're missing out if you're not spending time on a relationship with God then you're missing out on something wonderful.
2 Corinthians 12:9 - Be thankful we live in the age of Grace. How many times do we fail Him?