Matthew 6:6

NASB:                 But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

NLT:                      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.

VOICE:               When you pray, go into a private room, close the door, and pray unseen to your Father who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you.

Jesus’s View of Prayer

Jesus views prayer as incredibly important. Jesus wants us to be sincere when we pray, and not make it a public act or spectacle. Going away to your “inner room” means to find a private spot outside of public view. It makes prayer something that is more private and intimate. It’s a way to make sure that our prayers stay focused on God instead of doing it for human approval. You want to make sure that this time is undisturbed from the outside world. The core of prayer is to trust that God is present, even when we cannot physically see him.

God sees everything that we do, which is a way for believers to feel comforted that anything that we pray for (that is sincere) is heard by God. It’s a reminder for us as well that God is just and that our desire to seek human approval over God’s is futile. When we pray like this, the reward of it is not necessarily material or immediate. The rewards of prayer can be spiritual blessings, peace, and a deep relationship with God.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: What is your prayer routine like?

The Simplicity of Prayer

Prayer shouldn’t be a complicated activity. Prayer can be as simple as an honest conversation with God. These conversations can happen at any time when you need to talk with God. Prayer doesn’t require a performance or a formula, though this passage does invite us into an intentional private space. It just needs to be personal and not influenced by those around you. Prayer is a way that we look to our personal relationship with God, telling Him about everything positive that has happened and everything that we need to ask God for. The bigger concern is that we need to we need to ask God sincerely. Our reasons to ask God must be of good moral reasoning, align with God’s will, and is not to be used for selfish purposes. Prayer is about connecting with God. It’s not about working towards an overall goal or working to please your pastor or your family through prayer. It’s about connecting with the one that has created you and will provide everything you need in order to thrive and survive. The response to your prayers can be something like peace, guidance, and spiritual growth. It may not be tangible, and it may not when you want it to be done, but God will respond in wisdom and love, and sometimes in ways that we can recognize immediately and sometimes in ways that we can only understand later. Sometimes God’s answer may not be what we hoped for, and that can be a proper form of care. The more we pause and take moments of private prayer, the better our relationship with God gets and the more spiritually mature we get.

REFLECTION CHECKPOINT: How can you improve your prayer routine?

PRAY Action

Hi God! Thank you for the relationships You have gifted to me through the sacrifice of Your son. Help me to make my conversations with you more personal, more real, and less like others. I want to share all the good with you and share everything that weighs heavy on our heart. Help me to remove all the trauma and stigmas that have developed in my mind, and allow me to make our conversations real, truthful, and from the heart. It’s in your name, I pray this. Amen.

Next slice of manna: Perseverance Through Prayer || Luke 18:1 || Manna for the Mind #354