What Did Jesus Mean - Regarding Prayer?

The blog below was posted in 2014 and reposted in 2015 when the same gentleman, Crusty, from the TimesDaily Religion Forum popped up again on Facebook, once again repeating his same worn out argument against Christians praying.

I shared on Facebook about a woman who took a photo of the staff in a Waffle House restaurant as they were praying before beginning their work shift.  The workers gathered in a prayer circle behind the counter area and prayed. 

My comment was: "OKAY TO PRAY IN PUBLIC?  You betcha!  And, like this lady, the image of praying co-workers makes my day!  Enjoy!  God bless, Bill"

And, my faithful follower from the Timesdaily Religion Forum, Crusty, posted:

Bill, TV Preachers, and Tim Tebow love to ignore this passage:  Matthew 6:5-15 ESV, “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites.  For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. . . . "

No matter how many times over the years I have explained that passage to him - he keeps coming back with the same question.  That is a perfect example of what I mean when I say they "Throw it against the wall to see if it sticks!"    Over the years, and especially today, we have all seen Liberals, both religious and secular, and non-believers - who consistently use that tactic. 

They will take a fact that has been proven wrong, or many times just make up a non-existing fact - and post it all over social media.  Why do they do that?  Simple. They know that most folks will not bother to fact-check their post and will just accept it as true.  That is also one method the Liberal Socialist Left use to build their voter base - feed inane and untrue facts into minds that are void, which will just absorb whatever is presented to them.

So, let me present my blog from 2014 and 2015 where I repeatedly explained to my Forum Friend what I believe Jesus Christ meant in the Scripture passage found in Matthew 6:5-8:

~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

What Did Jesus Mean - Regarding Prayer?

October 21, 2014 at 5:59 PM

In a TimesDaily Religion Forum discussion I began several months ago titled "The Prolific Forum Poster!" - a Forum Friend and I somehow wandered into a dialogue on prayer and divorce.   Because these are both very important issues, I want to discuss both.  But to have some semblance of brevity I have split them into two separate discussions.

Regarding prayer, my Forum Friend asked me: 

How about you, Bill?    Was Jesus wrong when he said to pray in private?  Is there somewhere in the Bible that contradicts Jesus on this matter?

“Whenever you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray while standing in synagogues and on street corners so that people can see them.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward.  But whenever you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.  And your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you”  (Matthew 6:5-6 NET Bible).

Bill, do you pray as Jesus commands, or as a hypocrite?

To get a better view of what Christ is telling us about prayer, let's expand that passage to include verses 7 and 8: 

Matthew 6:5-8 (nasb), "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.  Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.  (6) But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.   (7) And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.  (8) So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him."  

My Forum Friend has inadvertently raised a good question.  What is prayer?   Is prayer a flag we fly in public to make ourselves appear righteous?  Or, is there more to prayer?  Is there a higher meaning to prayer, rather than self promotion?  YES!  Prayer is not a "righteousness mantle" to be worn.   Prayer is we Christian believers, as children reaching out to our Father - knowing that He will always have an answer.

Prayer is a Christian's conversation with his/her very Best Friend.  Do we only talk with our Best Friend while hiding behind closed doors - or do we converse with Him openly and even in corporate environments?

What did Jesus mean when He said, "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret"?

Did He mean that we should never pray in public?  Would that mean that saying Grace at a meal - is wrong?  Would that mean that when we pray in church - we are wrong?   Would that mean that when we hold events such as the National Day of Prayer, or a Prayer Breakfast, or a Prayer Service at church - that all those things are wrong in the eyes of Jesus Christ.  Of course not.

In Matthew 6:5-7, Jesus first addresses the Pharisees standing on public corners praying to be seen, i.e., wearing their "righteousness mantle."   What kind of praying is that?  Is it seeking the eyes of God - or the eyes of man?  We all know from Jesus words that these men were seeking adulation and admiration from men, not God.  And, that is what He is condemning in their public prayer performances.

I am sure we all have seen pastors and other Christians who, when they pray, seem to think that a prayer is really supposed to be a sermon.  I once knew a fellow who, when he prayed, would declare piously in his prayers, "Lord, in Isaiah blah blah, You said.  And, Lord, in Jeremiah blah blah, You said.  And, Lord, in Hebrews blah blah, You said."   On and on, he would continue for about half an hour telling God what He had written in Scripture.  My distracted silent reaction was, "My Friend, I believe God knows what He has written in His Word!  There is no need for you to remind him."

I once visited a local sister church to make copies of the Sunday bulletin for my church.  And since a meeting was in progress in the room with the copy machine, I went into the sanctuary where a prayer meeting was beginning.   There were about nine men, including my son, there and my "sermon praying" friend from the paragraph above had brought one of his friends to the prayer meeting.

Mr. "Sermon Praying" started the praying with his usual sermon posturing.  And, when he would slow down to catch his breath, his friend who came with him took over with another version of sermon praying.   I was there for 45 minutes and during all that time this duo had their "dueling prayers" going full force.  Only once during that time was even the pastor of the church able to get in a short prayer when both hesitated to catch their breath at the same time.  No one else in that prayer meeting was quick enough to get into the action.  After 45 minutes of this I left the meeting.

That is the kind of praying I believe Jesus had in mind when He said, in Matthew 6:5,  "When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men."   I am thoroughly convinced that those two men in that prayer meeting I attended were praying to impress man, not God.

So, what did Jesus mean when He said, in Matthew 6:6, "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you" ?

Have you ever been in a conversation with a person - and that person is looking around as though searching for something or someone?  Dory and I were at a church function some years ago and a pastor Friend was there.  Several times I stopped to chat with him.  But he always seemed so distracted - as though he was looking around for someone or something, that I finally gave up.  He was, and is still, my respected Friend.  And we have had plenty of opportunities to talk at other times.  But that night, and that time due to his distractions, was not the right time.

The same is true of prayer.  When we stop to chat with our Father, we need to be focused on Him.  And, not distracted by what is going on around us.

I believe that is the "inner room" which Jesus is suggesting - that "inner room" within us where there are no distractions.  When we have a conversation with our Lord, He does not want us mentally wandering, totally distracted.  Instead He wants us to be concentrating and focusing on Him and His love.

Is that "inner room" a physical room or place?  No, not necessarily.  It may be a private physical space.  Or it may be that relaxed place within ourselves (even when in a crowd) where we can be at peace and have a sincere conversation with our Best Friend, Jesus Christ.

With a little practice, we can enter that "inner room" no matter where we may be - in church, in a crowd, in a restaurant, or in our own home.  That is the "inner room" we are to enter when we want to talk with our Lord.  And, we can do this "in secret" while standing or sitting in a crowded auditorium, theater, church, restaurant, or wherever.

Dory and I always pray before a meal - at home or in a restaurant.  I recall once we were having dinner in Coco's Restaurant in Mission Viejo, California.  During dinner, I noticed another couple sitting on the opposite side of the dining room.  And, I saw them bow in prayer before eating.

Later when were walking out, I stopped by their table to tell them that I was blessed to see them praying before their meal.  To my surprise, the man told me, "We were also blessed when we saw you praying - and especially because you held hands as your prayed."  I had no idea anyone was observing us - for we were in our own "inner room" while praying and giving thanks for our food.

Learn to find your "inner room" and spend lots of time there, talking with your Best Friend, Jesus Christ.

God bless, have a wonderful, blessed day,

Bill