Fires and earthquakes may serve to get our attention, taking our focus off the temporary things of this world… but the voice that we ultimately long for comes in quiet places.
So it shouldn’t surprise us what we find the disciples of Jesus coming to him about in Matthew 6.
They might have asked to be taught how to preach
They may have asked…Lord teach us those one-liners you use to confront the religious elite, i.e.
‘Give to Caesar…’
‘He who is without sin…’
…Or Lord, teach us to heal and cast out demons
But they knew the source… they’d seen him slip out into the early morning to another place…
So they come asking, Lord teach us to PRAY.
Prayer is at the very core of spiritual life. Despite how many people speak of praying as a part of their lives… I believe that a life that lives out of a center of prayer is challenging for most of us.
Yet it’s at the center of Christ’s whole life and ministry… it was the wellspring and source for the way of life he calls us to. As Dallas Willard has noted, the frustration many of us face may be rooted in trying to live the life of Christ without developing the means to live such a life.
"Christianity has not so much been tried and found wanting, as it has been found difficult and left untried."...G.K. Chesterton
"If we were perfected, prayer would not be a duty, it would be delight. Some day, please God, it will be. The same is true of many other behaviors which now appear as duties. If I loved my neighbor as myself, most of the actions which are now my moral duty would flow out of me as spontaneously as song from lark or fragrance from a flower. Why is this not so yet? Well, we know don’t we? The very activities for which we were created are, while we live on earth, variously impeded: by evil in ourselves and others. Not to practice them is to abandon our humanity. To practice them spontaneously and delightfully is not yet possible. This situation creates the category of duty, the whole specifically moral realm, it exists to be transcended. I am therefore not really deeply worried by the fact prayer is at present a duty"...C.S. Lewis
All relationships require intention and effort… including the most central relationship of all… relationship with God…intimacy with God.
They knew and we know that God has come to us in Christ.
In Christ, they could now be called ‘friends’.
In Christ, God could now be known as ‘father’.
Jesus is glad to begin to lead them into this place… and now lead us.
So Jesus begins to lay the foundations…
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like the pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him”. Matthew 6:5-8
1. Pray SECRETLY
Jesus wasn’t challenging a place for public prayer per se, but what can become of it.
The formality of the Jewish religion included that of praying while standing with hands stretched out, palms opened and heads bowed, 3X/day, at 9 a.m., Noon and 3 p.m., WHEREVER ONE WAS.
It was easy for a man to be sure that they would find themselves at a busy part of the marketplace or the top step of the synagogue and there, offer lengthy and demonstrative prayers as a sign of piety.
Even though our less formal manner affords us less opportunity, we all know that we can begin to care more about appealing to others than God/
Jesus makes clear the pivotal option—appealing to others or appealing to God. His point is simple… if what you want is the honor of other people… you can have it… but that will be your ‘reward in ful’… that’s all you get.
Every social badge of devotion carries a danger.
Social acceptance may seem a better deal to strike—the awards are immediate, but the rewards are paid in full and they don’t include the riches of prayer.
Drop religion. Go for the real thing… for relationship.
We’re called to prayer, to share in praise and intercession, …BUT IF YOU WANT TO LEARN HOW TO PRAY, FIRST SHUT THE DOOR BEHIND YOU—FIND A SECRET PLACE, PRIVATE AND PERSONAL WHERE YOU CAN DEVELOP YOUR RELATIONSHIP WITH THE FATHER.
• There’s a POWER IN PRIVACY
The nature of a relationship is defined by how it’s set apart. Friends will start meeting for coffee…or couples at a place that becomes their ‘special place.’ When we begin to spend time set apart from others it’s creating something special.
Jesus said that we should make similar appointments with our Father in Heaven; create a special place and meet there regularly.
As Andrew Murray explains, “God needs time with us to exercise the full influence of his presence on us.”
Personally, I’ve had many significant times of prayer in my life, but maintaining a daily and growing intimacy with God is difficult. There are two elements that are helping me, and that are consistently noted by every friend and author who’s shared their process:
Setting an appointment.
The simple truth that many of us discover, is that no set time soon diminishes to no time at all.
Keeping a Journal—use writing to focus your thoughts.
My mind is too active—writing helps to focus thoughts.
I can look back; remember the things that were important…
A journal can be a wonderful part of shutting the door and creating that private place.
• There is also a PRIORITY OF PRIVACY.
Time and time again, the disciples note Jesus slipping away... before it was light, when the crowds around him had wearied His soul. I wonder if at times they felt left out? Perhaps… but it was the source from which Jesus lived and ministered… the source of strength out of which he served and ministered to them.
They too would learn the value and priority of the private world…so should we.
Praying as friends, as couples, should be an EXTENSION of our PERSONAL TIME, NEVER A SUBSTITUTE.
We should not only learn to pray together, but encourage and even protect the special times others have set apart for their relationship with God.
And then of course,
• there’s the PRACTICALITY OF PRIVACY.
Distractions seem to have a special liking for attempts to talk to God.
Any noise seems to draw my focus…suddenly we hear not only the telephone… but the washing machine, the neighbor’s music…
Jesus knows the value of finding a quiet place.
Stop—take a minute to think. Consider your own unique lifestyle and rhythms. What might be the most natural time and place for you to have time set apart with God? Write it down.
2. PRAY SIMPLY AND SINCERELY
Don’t pile up meaningless phrases, thinking length of words will help, like “the pagan”…prophets of Baal were confronted by the prophets of the true God…
Over time the Jewish people developed rich and beautiful prayers that were to be spoken daily: Most central was what is called the “Shema” — consists of 3 scriptures… and the Shemoneh’esreh—which means 18 and consist of 18 prayers. For some, this daily expression became a means to impress God, the meaning becoming secondary.
We too can start to string together common phrases and call it prayer.
It reminds me of my “research papers” that I wrote as a child. (I could make them tenfold the length required…thanks to the World Book Encyclopedia. I got an A+ every time… I impressed the teacher with the amount of work regardless of substance. Jesus is telling us that God isn’t impressed with such meaningless length.
GOD ONLY WANTS TO HEAR HIS SONS’ AND DAUGHTERS’ HEARTS!
Psalms 62:8 “Pour out your hearts to him.” Nothing is said about how long or refined.
Jesus says SIMPLICITY AND SINCERETY show respect, not LENGTH AND REFINEMENT.
God knows our hearts better than we do; we can trust he’ll receive our prayers with greater understanding than we’ll ever know.
As C.S. Lewis wrote: “Take not, Oh Lord, our literal sense,
Lord in thy great unbroken speech,
Our limping metaphor translate.”
IT’S OUR HEARTS AND WILLS, NOT OUR WORDS, THAT ARE ULTIMATELY BEFORE GOD.
3. PRAY SECURELY
“For”, as Jesus says, “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.”
John 16:26, Jesus describes how they’ll pray after he departs:
“In that day you will ask in my name, I am not saying I will ask the Father on your behalf. No, the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me…”
Matthew 7:7-11,
“Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened. Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him?!”
God is more intent on us than we are on Him; more able to answer prayer than we are to pray.
As Myron Augsburger expressed so well…
“Prayer moves the hand of God by giving Him the freedom to do in our lives what He has been wanting to do.”
We may feel that if He knows our hearts anyways, what difference does it make?
Parents know something of what difference it makes:
If your child is anxious, and you know it, does it make a great difference if they talk to you about it?
If your child lies and you know it, what difference does it make if they come and tell you?
If your child is trying to seek direction/guidance…which you already know they need… what difference does it make when they come to you and ask?
"The power of prayer is not that of pulling God’s strings, but of allowing ourselves to come into movement with God. We can move in the authority of Christ as we operate out of the intimate strength of joining with God as he did."
PRAYER IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN MOVING WITH GOD OR MOVING APART FROM GOD; AND WHEN WE PRAY, WE CAN BE SURE OUR FATHER WANTS TO MOVE WITH US.
…As we close, let us consider that little phrase Jesus uses… “WHEN WE PRAY…”
Getting started always comes down to getting started.
Let’s determine to:
Find secret places
To enter with simplicity and sincerity
And to do so with all the security of a child who’s father is longing to bless them.
GROWTH GROUP QUESTIONS
Sunday’s text was Matthew 6:5-8, with main points being Pray Secretly (personal/private), Pray Simply and Sincerely, and Pray Securely. Two lines of follow-up, of which one or both could be used, would be:
Read Luke 18:2-5 where Jesus tells his disciples a story to help them understand how god feels about our prayers. This is clearly a parable, not of allegory, but of contrasts, as described in this excerpt from “Too Busy Not to Pray” by Bill Hybels…
“According to Jesus, this story is not an allegory, where elements in the story stand for truths outside the story. Instead, it is a parable—a short story with a puzzling aspect that forces listeners to think. This particular parable is a study in opposites. Take a look at the contrasts.
First, we are not like the widow. In fact, we are totally opposite from her. She was poor, powerless, forgotten and abandoned. She had no relationship with the judge. For him, she was just one more item on his to-do list. But we are not abandoned; we are God’s adopted sons and daughters, Jesus’ brothers and sisters. We are in God’s family, and we matter to him. So don’t tiptoe into God’s presence, trying to find the secret of attracting his attention. Just say, “Hello, Father,” and know that he loves to hear your voice.
Second, our loving heavenly Father is nothing like the judge in Jesus’ story! The judge was crooked, unrighteous, unfair, disrespectful, uncaring and preoccupied with personal matters. By contrast, our God is righteous and just, holy and tender, responsive and sympathetic.
The psalmist says, “Taste and see that the LORD is good” (Psalms 34:8). Don’t think you have to figure out a way to wrench a blessing from him, somehow to trick him into giving up what he would rather keep for himself. God’s Word teaches that God loves to bestow blessings on his children. It’s his nature; it’s who he is—a giving God, a blessing God, an encouraging God, a nurturing God, and empowering God, a loving God.”
Discuss contrasts as group
What is Jesus trying to get across?
Matthew 7:7-11 emphasizes the same.
Read accounts of Jesus heading off for private prayer, noting its role and manner.
Luke 6:12-13
He spent the night praying and in the morning he chose his disciples (DECISIONS)
Mark 1:35-39
Early in the morning, Jesus goes to pray. After being found, he explains that his plans changed because the agenda of the people was not his. (PERSPECTIVE)
Matthew 14:22-23
How does time alone with God potentially come to affect our lives?
Do you have, or can you think of, a particular place that you can enjoy intimate time with God?
A Pattern for Prayer Feb. 6th, 1994.
If we live with someone and only casually acknowledge their obvious presence, it creates relationship but not intimacy. Intimacy is the result of intentional time. So it is with God…though He is always present with us and in us, it’s in the intentional time of prayer that intimacy will grow.
Such ‘special time’ nurtures a ‘transforming friendship’ or ‘vivid companionship’. Such ‘transforming friendship’ and ‘vivid companionship’ is the life that Jesus offers. But such a life is only found when it’s forged, and all the more to us who have so much around us that seeks to capture our attention.
In a culture that is wired for external pleasure without internal peace, the ‘vivid and transforming’ Christian life is especially challenging to take hold of.
G. K. Chesterton, the famous author said,
“Christianity has not so much been tried and found wanting, as it has been found difficult and left untried.”
The growing intimacy we long for doesn’t come easy.
To quote C.S. Lewis,
“The power of prayer is not that of pulling God’s strings, but of allowing ourselves to come into movement with God. We can move in the authority of Christ as we operate out of the intimate strength of joining with God as he did.”
What does that process of coming into movement with God look like? Jesus offered many prayers that were observed and that we can learn from. But we ant to pick up with the particular point at which his disciple ask him specifically to teach them to pray. After describing some foundational truths (which we looked at before), he offered them a good example…. That has become known commonly as ‘The Lord’s Prayer.’
Mathew 6:9-13
“So when you pray, you should pray like this:
‘Our Father in heaven,
May your name always be kept holy.
May your kingdom come
And what you want be done,
Here on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us the food we need for each day.
Forgive us for our sins,
Just as we have forgiven those who sinned against us.
And do not cause us to be tempted,
But save us from the Evil One.’
I want to offer a pattern that’s drawn from Christ’s prayers… given in the form of an acrostic. Let me be clear that I’m not suggesting this as any type of formula. It is simply a way to think of the parts and process….especially if you’re getting started or re-started in a regular pattern of prayer. It’s really a pattern for relationship… drawn in part from the themes of Christ’s prayer.
PRAISE
Intimacy begins with the recognition of the other, and so it is with our ultimate Creator and Father. Psalm 46:10 - "Be still, and know that I am God." Our recognition of Him, and who He is in relationship to our lives allows the flow of our relationship, putting into perspective all that may follow in our prayer. It’s turning knowledge of God into acknowledgment.
It may be helpful to begin our special times with God by:
• Giving thanks and praise for what He has provided and done.
• Reading a Psalm
• Reflecting on particular attributes or descriptions of God (Rock, Fortress, Deliverer, etc.)
• Singing a familiar worship song
To develop this further, one may:
• Rewrite a Psalm in a personal form
• Include extended devotional reading or study
RESTORE
Having recognized God and who He is to be in our lives, it is natural to admit where our relationship is out of alignment. Confession is an opportunity to come out from the "hiddeness" where shame alienates us from God.
"If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all righteousness." 1 John 1:9
The Father knows our struggles. His desire is for our agreement, placing ourselves "on the same side" of the struggle. Only in such open agreement can His relationship empower us. Therefore our prayer may take up the heart of the Psalmist,
"Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting." Psalm 139:23-24
ASK
Having established our relationship, we can begin to bring our desires to God.
"In the morning, O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait in expectation." Psalm 5:3
We need to be confident in expressing our needs and the needs of others to our heavenly Father, bearing in mind that first and foremost we are to be seeking the Kingdom of God. (Matt. 6:31-34) Our Creator and Father desires to provide strength and guidance as well as earthly provisions. Accordingly he longs for us to ask Him about and for:
• our inner personal lives and daily needs
• our friends, family, co-workers
• our personal and shared ministry (i.e. church, missionaries, etc.)
• the battles in the social system around us
YIELD
While a yielded posture underlies all parts of our prayer, it is the more specific element of listening that is to be included here. In the same way that a yellow "yield" sign on the road indicates that we are to give the right of way, so we are to stop and give the right of way to that which God may desire to impart.
"But the Counselor, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you all things and will remind you of everything I have said to you." John 14:26
The Spirit of God may speak to us as a voice to our inner being (spirit) or direct us to Scripture or Scriptural truth that a friend or pastor has taught. As God is unchanging and the truths of His Fatherly counsel are unchanging, it is natural that the Holy Spirit as Counselor may direct us to such principles of guidance that speak to our present situations. Take time to listen for His consolation, counsel and direction. (Psalm 25:14; Proverbs 2:1-6; Jeremiah 33:3)
EXPECT
Expectation is the closing step of having truly come into movement with God. Anticipate His sovereignty and love at work.
RELEASE
As prayer has brought us to the true God, we can depart free from the weight of "god-like" burden we often carry. Having done what is wise with that which is beyond our power, let us be released to that which has been given for us to do.
Offer one further form that has accompanied a life of prayer throughout the centuries… and that is a journal.
If it sounds foreign… the Book of Psalms can be thought of as a part of King David’s prayer and worship journal… where he wrote out his thoughts and cries to God… and what God impressed upon him in response. Many have found a personal journal has served their devotional life in several ways….
Provides a place to write down and remember specific requests and needs.
Provides a place to write out some prayers…. Which can help refine what’s going on within us.
It also provides a place to write down what God impresses and speaks to us… and to track his faithfulness over time. (I have found that many times great things unfold that we forget that we had specifically prayed for.)
One can also use it to write down other thoughts that may come to mind while praying…which are valuable but potentially distracting.
I don’t want this to be a church that believes in prayer, I want this to be a church that prays, because I’m convinced of what will be experienced in our lives as we move more and more with God.
Read together the ‘Lord’s Prayer’, and then tag on my ending,
“Lord, may we follow in what you have offered us,
not only in this prayer, but the invitation
to come into intimate movement with our Father.”
GROWTH GROUP QUESTIONS
Relate the struggle to shape our prayer/devotional to the suggestion of a pattern that includes:
Praise Acknowledging God, His work, and His relationship to us.
Restore Admit and agree with God about any way in which our lives are out of alignment with Him.
Ask Ask God abut and for our needs, as well as the needs of others.
Yield Listen to God, giving way to anything He may impart.
Which aspect do you (each member) find most natural and which most difficult?
Share in an expression of the Praise element. With paper and pens provided, each member on their own, may choose a Psalm, then rewrite it in a personal paraphrase.
This includes:
inserting ones own name where appropriate
changing the language to that which is more personally meaningful, while still expressing the same statement.
Note: Many Psalms include less relatable portions, or are long. In such cases choose only a few verses. Extra Bibles or copies of some Psalms may be needed.
Suggested Psalms include: 15; 16; 18:1-6; 27; 40.
After all are finished (about 10-15 minutes), go around the group and have each individual share theirs aloud if comfortable.
