What Is The Purpose of Prayer? Almost everyone knows the words of the Lords Prayer. But have you noticed the words before Jesus tells us how to pray? Matthew 6:1-12 Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven. 2 So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. 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. 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. 9 Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. First of all, Jesus talks about practicing your Righteousness before people so that you will be noticed and people will say...Oh how holy is he or she. And how when helping the poor, you do not make a big deal of it, it may make you feel good, but it may embarass those receiving the help. And when you pray, do not make long prayers in public, repeating phrases over and over, like....Oh, Lord lead and guide us. So why does Jesus say these things, what do they all have in common....It is this, do you want your reward from Mankind or God? If you act so holy before people and get their praise by how you pray, long prayers, give help to the poor, then He says you have your reward, in full, from people. But if you want your reward from God, and He gives you the desires of Your hearts, then pray behind closed doors so that if and when you pray in public, you do not feel you have to make long prayers or repeat phrases as if you are begging God for something. Help the poor without making a public display, out of it. Now by having this attitude, then you are ready to come to God in prayer. Remember that Prayer is not meant to change God’s mind, but to change ours. Prayer aligns our requests, with God’s will. By beginning our prayer with praise, we take the focus off of ourselves and put it on God. When we pray for God’s perfect will to be done, we take the focus off of our desires and put it on God’s desires for our lives. We also show God that we are submitting to Him our whole lives. Yes, God wants us to submit our requests to Him, but always in the end of your prayers acknowledge Him and His Perfect will in the situation: As He tells us in Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. Jesus taught His disciples to pray, “Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” For those who recite what we’ve come to know as the Lord’s Prayer on a regular basis, it is very important that we never take those words for granted or say them flippantly. It is the cornerstone, the focus, and the ultimate purpose of prayer. Jesus himself prayed for God’s will to be done. In the Garden of Gethsemane, just before his arrest, Jesus prayed, “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me.” His prayer was so intense, capillaries burst and droplets of blood trickled down his forehead. And yet, as much as He would have welcomed redemption in any other way than the cross, Jesus prayed, “yet, not my will, but yours be done,” (Luke 22:42). I am so thankful that God has not answered each of my requests with a “YES.” My life would be much different than it is today – and I don’t mean for the better. How thankful I am for my Heavenly Father Who knows what’s best for me! He has plans that are “above and beyond all that we ask or think” (Ephesians 3:20) and in order to see and hear God speak through prayers, we must allow ourselves to think beyond our limited knowledge, to see beyond our limited vision, and to believe beyond our limited understanding. Having Faith in God and Trusting that His Plan is always what is Best! Prayer turns our focus toward God and allows Him to rearrange our priorities and set our agenda. It is more than just making requests and unloading our burdens and our desires. Prayer is more than telling God what we want. It is allowing God to show and tell us what He wants and submitting our will to His perfect Will, Way and Time for our lives. https://youtube/watch?v=MnRYudwlN80
Posted on: Sun, 07 Sep 2014 08:55:04 +0000