Week 4 - Matthew 6:1-18 – Jesus teaches us to pray
Matthew 6:1-8 this section is all about making a show of prayer and religious activities. You know making sure that others recognize all that you do for God. But God says NO, I want you to work for me and not put everything you do on display for all to see.
I think of a story of how a family lost a child. The family was devastated. They had so many plans to make. They belonged to a church. They were blessed by a church that had someone take them to the funeral home to help them with the arrangements. Yet while they were out, other members of the church came and cleaned the house and polished their good shoes. I heard that it was the polishing of the shoes that they remembered the most. You see, they had helped in the same manner when others in the church had lost a loved one. But they never knew about the shoe polishing. When they asked around, well, no one knew who had done it. It was the anonymous gift they remembered the most.
How many of know the normal response from people in times of trial like a death in the family? Don’t we expect flowers, cards and words of sympathy? Or in times of happiness – there are standards that are expected, aren’t there? New born child – cards and gifts; graduation for high school – money and cards; marriage – cards and gifts; even at Christmas – we expect gifts and cards; don’t we? Are these public displays some of what Jesus was talking about here? Do we make these events “performances” or “public displays”?
BUT Jesus says that when it comes to God and your display of love and obedience toward God, well, should be rewarded by God, not man.
I find this confusing at times. We have prayer requests shared and prayed for publicly. Would this fall into this category?
All this comes back to the person’s motivation for sharing prayer requests and sharing activities with those around them. Do we do it to gain earthly fame or do we do it so that God gets the glory? I think that is what Jesus is getting at. Are we not called to pray for one another? If this is true, then we need to share requests. Are we not called to use our gifts to God’s glory? If this is true, then we need to work, and often work were others see. Not all work can be done in secret, but we can work without the expectation of public acclaim or recognition.
The Lord’s Prayer comes next in Matthew 6:9-13 (New International
version)
9"This, then, is how you should pray:
" 'Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
10your kingdom come,
your will be done
on earth as it is in heaven.
11Give us today our daily bread.
12Forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.'
I love this prayer. I like to take this pray and use it as an example to
follow, just as Jesus said.
Have you ever defined the parts and then followed them to pray?
The Parts:
Vs 9 – acknowledge God, and God’s holiness
Vs 10 – recognize & praise God, and God’s love
Vs 11 – request those items needed to sustain your life
Vs 12 – ask for forgiveness for your sins, examine to see if you need
to forgive those around you or if you need to seek forgiveness from another
for a wrong you have done
Vs 13 – Seek God’s guidance for your life and that you may choose
God over all else.
There are only five easy steps for praying to God. How much easier can it get? If you think about it you use these five steps in all parts of your life. I was just thinking that these 5 steps can be used in all sorts of situations like asking for a raise or promotion, or seeking help from others or when asking parents or others for something. Haven’t you ever laid the foundation by praising your parents, acknowledging them and asking for forgiveness for something you “forgot to do” and that you would do better, but you just need to go and do this one thing now (and don’t forget to add that all your friends are going)? Your right, you have never done anything like that!
So we have versus 14-18 left. How do they sum everything up? Any good advice we can grab on to?
How about you all create a heartfelt pray to God using Jesus’ example prayer? What words today would you use to acknowledge God and God’s deity? How would you praise God? What do you consider essential items that are needed to sustain your life? What sins/wrongs have you committed today which you need forgiveness for? Have you been wronged? Did you forgive them? What kind of direction are you seeking from God? Are you seeking direction? If you have unhappiness or dissatisfaction, do you seek God’s guidance in these matters?
These are just a few of the many questions we should be asking ourselves everyday as we try to become better disciples of Jesus/God.
Yours in Christ,
alyce