No one can fully comprehend exactly how prayer functions
within the infinite plans of God. To some, prayer is nothing more than
“tuning in” to God’s will like you might tune in a radio station. Some
take an opposite extreme and say that God’s actions are significantly affected
by human prayers. On one hand we have prayer seen simply as lining up
with God regarding what He has already determined to do, and on the other it is
asking God to do what He otherwise would not do. You can find some
support for both positions in Scripture. The two concepts seem to be in
tension. The Bible is absolutely clear about God’s sovereignty, but our
sovereign Lord implores us, His creatures, to pray and seek His guidance,
provision, protection, mercy, forgiveness, and countless other needs.
John MacArthur has written “It is neither required nor possible to fathom the
divine workings that make prayer effective. God simply commands us to
obey the principles of prayer that His Word gives.”
When
we pray it is tempting to pray for an audience of man. That is a “false”
audience. Someone once described the prayer of a certain preacher in a
Boston church this way: “It was the most eloquent prayer ever offered to a
Boston audience.” If we are overly concerned with the impression we make
on other people we are not really thinking of God.
Prayers can become ritualized, merely words recited from memory, and devoid of
sincerity. Some prayers were and are delivered with sincerity to God, but
the Pharisees Jesus often dealt with and referred to in the New Testament
meticulously recited their prayers making sure to pronounce every word and
syllable properly. Three times each day they paraded their piety before
the Lord. Ancient rabbis taught that the longer the prayer, the more
likely it would be heard and heeded by God. Wordiness was confused with
meaning and the length was confused with sincerity. How could prayer be
so confusing?
Have
you ever done anything and felt proud of yourself the whole time you were doing
it? Have you longed for the praise and compliments of others? Few
would admit they desire praise from others, but the evidence shows that many
do. When I was in college I attended an on-campus concert. The
performer was a Christian recording artist named Tim Minor. I only
remember 2 things about that concert. It was extremely loud; perhaps not
unusual for a concert. But the other thing was this huge banner that
descended from the ceiling of Raley Chapel which had on it a portrait of Tim
Minor! It is one of the most graphic displays of pride and arrogance I
have ever seen before! It can be said of the prideful, they have their
reward! Just like the religious leaders, they have an ulterior motive.
There
was never anything about prayer that was meant to be flashy or showy. The
basic definition of prayer is “communion with God.” If God is not
“involved” in the prayer then there really is no prayer. God not only
must be involved, but He must be central. Prayer, in the first place, was
not man’s idea but rather God’s. Jesus never forbid public prayer, but
taught that the overwhelming focus of prayer should be in secret. It is
much more difficult to have proper intimacy with God in a public prayer, but
there are occasional exceptions. I remember when I was in my early teens,
being at a church service when a man from the congregation got up to offer a
scheduled prayer that came at the same point in the service week to week.
I remember he only had one leg and stood there at a microphone on
crutches. He made himself comfortable and prayed for 25 minutes! I
remember it vividly because it was so out of the ordinary. His words were
different. I had never heard anyone pray that long before! There was a
sincerity and a genuineness that was rarely heard or seen in other public
prayers.
Most
generally, when we pray we should go to a secret or hidden place. If you
have seen the Christian movie “The War Room” it provides a perfect example of
what is best. But, even if the whole world hears the words of a prayer
uttered, that prayer can still be uttered from the secret recesses of one’s
heart and make that perfect connection with God.
Your
public persona may be quite different than the person God sees. God looks
inside your heart. When God is genuinely the audience of our prayers we
have the reward that only He can give. Jesus does not really give an
idea, in this passage, as to what God’s reward or repayment will be. The
important thing is that God will faithfully and unfailingly bless those who
come to Him in sincerity, without question, the Lord will repay those who
insincerely and hypocritically pray as well; it will be through His judgment.
True
prayer can be one of the most beautiful and rewarding experience of our
lives. It can also become all for show if we are not careful and we lose
our reward. Merely going through the motions will not cut it with God!
In Christ,
Dr. Allen Raynor, Pastor
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