50. Sermon on the Mount Secrets - Prayer Secrets

And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. (Matthew. 6:5-8)

Once again, we must ask ourselves why we pray. If we look at verse 5 above, we could liken it to a person (we’ll name him John) who has a room full of friends with him when he calls another friend, Mike.

            John glances at his friends. “Hi Mike, what a joy it is to talk to you again. I remember the day that you needed me and I was there for you. The last time you helped me was great too. I can’t do without your friendship.”

John looks to see whether his friends are still listening. “You impressed me when we solved that problem with our project, but I did pretty well too.”

            John called Mike in order to impress his friends. Do we ever do this when we pray, especially in public? What goes through our minds when we pray? Do we wonder what people think of our prayer? Are we concerned whether our prayer sounds all right? Do we feel fulfilled after we’ve prayed? Has our prayer brought religious satisfaction to us? Have we completed the duty or project well?

            When you talk with someone you care about, you focus on her. You look

her in the eyes, concentrate to understand what she tells you, and ask questions to make sure you got it right. You repeat what she says as a sign that you get the message. When you speak, you make sure that she listens and understands by asking relevant questions and by checking on her attention. You are not aware of your surroundings. That is why two couples can converse simultaneously at the same table on two subjects without affecting each other’s discussion. It involves intimacy.

            So when you talk with Dad, concentrate on Him and converse with Him. There is no need to use big words and a “holy” tone of voice. Just talk.

Also, allow your emotions into your prayer. If something is important or urgent, it will show in the intensity of your prayer. You don’t need to go into a physical inner room, either. You can switch to your inner being whenever you wish and wherever you are. Everybody knows what it means to be deep in thought. You are not aware of your surroundings, yet you automatically continue to mow the lawn, fold the laundry, or whatever you need to do while maintaining fellowship with our Father.

Some people’s jobs allow them to work and fellowship with the Lord at the same time because their work is very mechanical. Others have the opportunity while driving, walking, etc. I have been in such deep prayer while walking the dog that I travel significant distances with my eyes closed. In the car or at work I have had to be careful not to close my eyes. The Lord is living in our spirits, and we can have fellowship with Him during prayer. It is easier to do this when we are alone in our physical inner room. This can be any place where we are out of earshot and close observation of others. When we give Him our full attention, unaware of our surroundings, we will hear His voice and receive His guidance.

A physical inner room is a good thing, but our real inner room is our spirit. When we tune in to our spirit, turning our attention away from our thoughts, we enter our inner room, making true contact with Father and hearing His voice. We can be in a physical inner room and still not make contact with Him. On the other hand, we can walk or drive down the street, intensely aware of the Lord’s presence, hearing what He wants from us.

“Pray continually,” (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Nobody needs to know you are praying, and because praying shows faith and is therefore pleasing to Dad, He will reward you.

            The Lord knows what we want before we ask. Therefore, my family has learned the “Thank-You prayer”: thank You, Lord, that You will protect us today. Thank You Lord that You care for the thousands who have lost loved ones, and so on. May the Lord teach you to pray effectively.

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