Sermon on the Mount | Week 3 | On Earth as It Is in Heaven | Prayer and Fasting

MATTHEW 6:9–10

Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Prayer and Fasting

MATTHEW 6:5–8

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 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.

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!”

REFLECTION

Those who believe in Jesus are called children of God, which means we have direct access to God through prayer! Before Jesus teaches us how to pray, he tells us what not to do. He uses the Pharisees and the Gentiles—who were both often self-focused—as examples. The Pharisees wanted to impress people. The Gentiles were thoughtlessly checking a box without their hearts or minds being engaged in talking to God. Jesus reminds us that prayer is about God’s glory and not our own. Prayer is about surrendering our hearts, not about saying the perfect things.

Jesus says that the best way to grow in connecting with God in prayer is to spend time in secret prayer. Although he prayed often in public, he prayed more often in private. He taught his disciples to address God as their Father, assuring them that at the same time the father not only knows the needs of his children before they ask him, he also encourages those children to ask in confidence and trust. Prayer is about submitting to the Lord, being honest with him and with ourselves. Prayer is meant to align our hearts to the Lord so that we can take our eyes off of ourselves and fix our gaze on him.

Take some time to honestly reflect on your prayer life. Where do you need to grow in this area?

If the Father knows what we need before we even ask him, why does Jesus still instruct us to pray?