A journalist assigned to the Jerusalem bureau took an apartment overlooking the Wailing Wall. Every day when she looked out, she saw an old Jewish man praying vigorously. So, the journalist went down and introduced herself to the old man.
She asks, “You come every day to the wall. How long have you done that, and what are you praying for?”
The old man replies, “I have come here to pray every day for 25 years. In the morning I pray for world peace and then for the brotherhood of man. I go home, have a cup of tea, and I come back and pray for the eradication of illness and disease from the earth.”
The journalist is amazed. “How does it make you feel to come here every day for 25 years and pray for these things?” she asks.
The old man looks at her sadly. “Like I'm talking to a wall” (“Wailing Wall,” Religious Joke of the Day, beliefnet.com, 4-25-03; www.PreachingToday.com).
Do you ever feel like you’re talking to a wall when you pray? Do you ever feel like your prayers don’t really do all that much? Do you ever feel like your prayers are useless and ineffective? Well, if you have your Bibles, I invite you to turn with me to Matthew 6, Matthew 6, where Jesus describes the kind of praying God rewards. It’s powerful praying that gets results!
Mathew 6:5 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. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. (ESV)
I.e., they have received payment in full. They’re not getting anything more than the brief recognition of others.
God doesn’t answer that kind of prayer, so don’t pray to put on a show. Don’t pray for the purpose of displaying your piety.
You see, in Jesus day, Jews prayed standing, with hands stretched out, palms upwards, and with heads bowed. And prayers had to be said at specific times in the morning and in the evening no matter where you were at the time. So those who wanted to demonstrate their piety made sure that they were at a busy street corner or on the top step in front of a synagogue at those times. Then they would raise their hands and pray long, showy prayers to impress the people that passed by (William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol.1).
To be sure, that’s not the way a lot of people pray today, but I have heard a lot of prayers where it seemed like the person was trying to impress the audience rather than simply talk to God.
Now, don’t get me wrong. Jesus is not prohibiting all public praying, for He Himself offered public prayers. He did it before he fed the 5,000 with five loaves of bread and two fish (John 6:11). And He did it before He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:41-42).
No, it’s not wrong to pray in public. The Apostle Paul, in the context of the local church, said, “I desire that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling” (1 Timothy 1:8). So no, it is NOT wrong to pray in public, but it IS wrong to pray in public if you are not in the habit of praying in private. Otherwise, observers may think that you are more pious than you really are, and that is hypocrisy (Warren Wiersbe, Be Loyal)
A couple of years ago (2017), Nordstrom's website advertised a pair of mud-stained, “heavily distressed” jeans that (quote) “embody rugged, Americana workwear that's seen some hard-working action with a crackled, caked-on muddy coating that shows you're not afraid to get down and dirty” (close quote).
The jeans are even machine washable. According to the care instructions, they recommend machine washing in cold water and line drying. That way you don’t have to worry about ruining the rugged look. The price? Just a mere $425. (Aaron Smith, “Dirty Jeans for Sale: $425,” CNN: Money, 4-25-17; www.Preaching Today.com)
Now, isn’t that ridiculous? Some rich, city guy is going to pay $425 for a dirty pair of jeans just to look like a regular guy who works on the farm.
Ridiculous! But no more ridiculous than the person who puts on a show of piety without actually having any kind of private prayer life. They may get the accolades of the people who see them, but they will not get any answers from God Himself. So if you want your prayers to get results, don’t pray to put on a show.
Instead, have a private prayer life. Pray in the secret places where nobody sees you. Look at what Jesus says in verse 6.
Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. (ESV)
God rewards unpretentious, secret prayers, not the prayers of showmen.
Now, the “room” Jesus describes here is a room in the interior of a house, normally without windows opening to the outside (Louw-Nida). It’s a private, “inner room” like a closet or a pantry. It’s a place you normally don’t show your guests.
It’s not that you actually have to go into your closet to pray, no! The point is: God rewards those prayers nobody else sees, God rewards those prayers that express the unseen agony of your own heart before an unseen God, who is right there with you in your secret pain.
Christian author, Jane Johnson Struck, writes about growing up in a ranch house where her bedroom was her sanctuary. However, her real “inner sanctum,” the only space that made her feel uninhibited enough to unload her youthful angst onto God, was her closet. She writes, “Crouched in its dark, tiny confines, I'd spill tears of anger and words of confusion over childhood slights and perceived parental wrongs. I took God literally at his word, going into the only secret place I had, trusting that my heavenly Father, who saw my hidden heartbreaks, would meet me there.”
However, as she matured and moved away from home, this habit fell by the wayside. After all, how convenient is a literal prayer closet in a dorm room, an apartment with a roommate, or a home shared with a spouse?
Then several years ago, she rediscovered the power of closeted prayer. She writes, “My husband was recovering from a routine, out-patient surgery that had unexpectedly revealed a suspicious tumor. That afternoon, my husband and I were scheduled for a follow-up with the surgeon to review pathology results.
“As my husband slept downstairs on a recliner, I stood before our bedroom mirror, struggling to make myself presentable for the upcoming physician visit. My stomach knotted with apprehension, my face haggard from worry, I was so overwhelmed with distress that I walked into our closet, shut the door, flung myself onto its floor, and broke down in the darkness. God! God! I flailed. Help me! I'm frightened my husband has cancer! I'm so afraid of losing him!”
She continues, “Somewhere between my flowing snot and convulsive sobs, God's presence filled that closet. His voice—inaudible, yes, but clearer than any sound I've ever heard—told me, ‘Everything will be OK.’”
Then she writes, “That stunning and unexpectedly powerful encounter left me almost dizzy. I arose, blew my nose, wiped tears off my face, and suddenly felt electrified by an unassailable sense of God's absolute control over our scary circumstances. God—the God of the universe!—had seen my distress in that secret space and had chosen to personally comfort me. And although my husband's diagnosis turned out to be the one we'd dreaded, God graciously restored my beloved to health, fulfilling what God had told me he'd do in the secrecy of my closet.”
Since then, whenever she needs to pray with a candor she feels uncomfortable sharing among others, she heads toward her walk-in closet. There, she shuts out distractions and concentrates on seeking God alone, in secret. In that place, she writes, “I'm confident that as I surrender myself, surrounded by clutter and chaos and funk, my heavenly Father, who sees what is done in secret, once again will be faithful” (Jane Johnson Struck, Today's Christian Women Editor's Blog, 2008; www.PreachingToday. com)
That’s powerful praying and the kind of prayer God answers! So don’t pray to put on a show.
Instead, pray in the secret places where nobody sees you, and pray to your Heavenly Father. Direct your prayers to God, not to an audience for their approval. Jesus says in verse 6, “Pray to your Father, who is in secret,” or who is unseen. It’s easily missed if you hurry through the text, but Jesus says our prayers are to be directed to an audience of One, to God, our Heavenly Father, not to an audience of others.
Helen Poole, from Canon City, Colorado, describes tucking her preschooler in for the night when the little girl asked if she could pray. Delighted, Helen told her it was a great idea to talk to Jesus, but as the little girl began praying, her words kept getting softer and softer until only her lips were moving. Then she said “Amen.”
“Honey,” her mom said, giving her a hug, “I didn't hear a word you said.”
“That's okay, Mama,” she responded. “I wasn't talking to you.” (Helen B. Poole, Canon City, Colorado, Christian Reader, “Kids of the Kingdom;” www.PreachingToday.com)
Such wisdom from a preschooler! When you pray, don’t talk to impress an audience; talk to God in secret, and He who sees in secret will reward you. In a word...
PRAY SINCERELY.
Pray without hypocrisy. Pray not to put on a show, but to genuinely connect with your Heavenly Father. Pray sincerely if you want God to answer your prayers. Then...
PRAY SIMPLY.
Pray plainly and bluntly without a lot of fancy words and meaningless formulas. Look at what Jesus says in verse 7
Matthew 6:7 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. (ESV)
Many, meaningless words may impress an audience, but they don’t impress God.
So when you pray, be clear. Don’t use “empty phrases” as Jesus puts it here. Literally, “Don’t babble.”
Now, the word can refer to senseless sounds (Louw-Nida), as in unintelligible babbling. Or it can refer to the endless repetition of one phrase or even of one word (William Barclay, The Gospel of Matthew, Vol.1).
You see this kind of praying in 1 Kings 18:26, where the prophets of Baal cry out: “O Baal answer us” for half a day. Or in Acts 19:34, the Ephesian mob keep shouting for two hours, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians.” And people who practice eastern meditation today have a mantra, usually the name of a Hindu God, they repeat over and over again. It’s like they hypnotize themselves by the endless repetition of that mantra.
My dear friends, that’s dangerous, since it opens you up to demonic influence. But it’s also useless, because God does not respond to such prayers. So don’t babble when you pray. Just be clear in your requests.
Betty Traver from Great Bend, Pennsylvania, talks about a time she had a 1956 station wagon that picked the most inopportune times to refuse to start.
Her 4-year-old and she were about to go on an errand, and Betty wanted to instill in him the need to trust God for everything. So she asked him to pray before they left. He closed his eyes tightly and prayed, “Dear Lord, please help this piece of junk start.” (Betty Traver, Great Bend, PA, Christian Reader, “Lite Fare;” www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the kind of praying God hears: praying that’s clear and to the point.
So when you pray, be clear, and be short. Get right to the point, and don’t think more words will make your prayer any better.
Jesus says, “Don’t pray like the Gentiles, who think they will be heard for their many words” (vs.7).
No, they won’t! The effectiveness of your prayer is not determined by its length; it’s determined by the Lord you’re speaking to.
I like the way the famous 19th Century evangelist D. L. Moody put it years ago. He said, “Some men's prayers need to be cut short at both ends and set on fire in the middle.” (D.L. Moody, Christian History, no. 25; www.PreachingToday.com)
How about your prayers? If you want God to hear your prayers, get rid of all the extraneous, fancy words, and just tell Him what’s on your heart.
Joe Queenan, in an article for the Wall Street Journal some time ago (2016) talked about buying a sinus rinse one day, “just a basic, no-frills sinus rinse,” he says. He thought that rinsing his sinuses would be a fairly straightforward operation.
However, when he opened up the box, he found a 32-page manual with an introduction, testimonials from physicians and customers, warnings about mishandling the device, a full page of instructions for cleaning and disinfecting the unit, and four pages of answers to frequently asked questions about sinus rinses.
The manual contained tens of thousands of words, all in tiny, tiny print. “It did not explain how to launch an intercontinental ballistic missile or how to address the queen,” Queenan said. No, it just dealt with the whys and wherefores of using a sinus rinse, but it went on and on and on. (Joe Queenan, “The Plague of Things That Are Too Long,” The Wall Street Journal, 5-12-16; www.PreachingToday.com)
Tell me. Who reads that kind of stuff? I certainly don’t, and neither do most people. You see, more words don’t make the manual more effective. If anything, more words make it less effective to the point where most people just throw it away.
The same is true about prayer. More words don’t impress the Lord, who sees your heart. No! He just wants you to speak from your heart sincerely and simply. So when you pray, pray sincerely; pray simply; and finally, when you pray...
PRAY ASSUREDLY.
Pray with confidence that your Heavenly Father already knows your need. Pray with the assurance that God is well aware of your pain even before you express it.
Look at what Jesus says in verse 8. “Do not be like them” – i.e., like the people who use “empty phrases” and “many words” in their prayers.
Matthew 6:8 “Don’t be like them,” Jesus says. “For your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” (ESV)
You don’t have to tell God everything that’s going on. He already knows! So just tell Him what’s on your heart, with the assurance that He has already taken care of you.
Lois Spoon talks about a time when she needed $153.27 by 2 p.m. and it was already 1:30. She sat in her car outside a restaurant where she had just eaten lunch with several ladies from her church. When it came time to pay for the meal, she picked up the tab of a guest missionary from Romania, using her last $20.
She had been confident God would provide her need, but her certainty began to waver as the breeze blew through her car windows. No one else knew about her dilemma.
She recalled the incident in Matthew 17 when Jesus' disciples needed money to pay their taxes. He told them to go out on the lake and the first fish they caught would have a coin in its mouth that would cover the amount they needed.
“Dear Lord,” she prayed. “I need a fish soon. Please show me where to find the lake.”
God had given her an opportunity to attend a medical workshop that could help with a medical condition she had. The workshop was open only to doctors and physical therapists, but a physical therapist friend had arranged for Lois to go with her. On top of that, every expense would be paid, except Lois’ air fare of $153.27.
Lois eagerly accepted the invitation months in advance and started asking God to provide the money for her to go. As it turned out, just 30 minutes before Lois was scheduled to meet her friend at the travel agency to pay for her plane ticket, she had no money.
Lois glanced in her rear-view mirror and saw a small black sports car back out, then pull back into its parking space. As she watched, it backed out again and Lois recognized the driver as a lady with whom she had just had lunch. Her name was Beverly.
Lois wondered if Beverly was having car trouble when she slowly drove out of the parking lot, circled the restaurant, and pulled back in again. This time she stopped in the middle of the lot, got out, and walked toward Lois’ car. Beverly stuck her head through Lois’ open passenger window.
“I know you don't know me very well,” she said, “and I hope you don't think I'm crazy. I'm so embarrassed. Please don't be offended by this, [but] several months ago God told me to put change in an envelope for you. I've just carried it around and been adding to it every day till I got the nerve to give it to you. I hope this isn't insulting.”
Her face flamed red as she tossed a bulging envelope onto the car seat. “I just have to obey God,” she mumbled and ran to her car before Lois could respond.
Makeup smudges and ink smears covered the once white envelope. On the front, Lois’ name was scribbled in big letters and there was a card inside dated several months earlier. With tears in her eyes, Lois carefully emptied the contents out on the seat and started counting. There were bills of all denominations and lots of change, all adding up to exactly $153.27 (Lois Spoon, “Divine Calculation: My Prayer Was Answered by Someone's Pocket Change,” Today's Christian, Sept/Oct 1999; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the God you pray to as a believer in Christ. You pray to a Heavenly Father, who starts meeting your need even before you ask.
So when you pray, pray sincerely; pray simply; and pray assuredly. For powerful praying is a sure, simple, sincere sharing of your heart with a Heavenly Father who already knows your need.
In His book, Cure for the Common Life, Max Lucado talks about the time the bank sent him an overdraft notice on the checking account of one of his daughters, who was in college at the time. He had encouraged his college-age girls to monitor their own accounts, but sometimes they would overspend.
“What should I do?” he asked himself. “Send her an angry letter? Admonition might help her later, but it won't satisfy the bank. Phone and tell her to make a deposit? Might as well tell a fish to fly. I know her liquidity,” Lucado said. “Zero.”
“What should I do?” Lucado asked. “Transfer the money from my account to hers? Seemed to be the best option.” Lucado said, “I could replenish her account and pay the overdraft fee as well. Since she calls me Dad,” Lucado said, “I did what dads do. I covered my daughter's mistake.”
When he told her she was overdrawn, she said she was sorry. Still, she offered no deposit. She was broke. She had one option, “Dad, could you…”
“Honey,” Lucado interrupted, “I already have.” He met her need before she knew she had one.
So it is with our Heavenly Father. Long before we knew we needed grace, He did the same for us. He made an ample deposit. Before we knew we needed a Savior, we had one. And when we ask him for mercy, he answers, “Dear child. I've already given it.” (Max Lucado, Cure for the Common Life, Thomas Nelson, 2008, pp. 69-70; www.PreachingToday.com)
That’s the God who hears your sure, simple, sincere prayers. So don’t be afraid to come to Him for mercy, for salvation, or for anything else you need.
