In Luke 11:1, the Apostles of Jesus Christ asked Jesus a very interesting request. “Lord, teach us to pray.” I find it very interesting that they asked his that request. They could have said, Lord, teach us to raise the dead, feed the thousands, or walk on water.” They simply asked, “Teach us to pray.” Do you pray? If you are a believer in the finished work of Jesus, you must be a person of prayer. Oswald Chambers said this about prayer, ““Think of prayer as the breath in our lungs and the blood from our hearts. Our blood flows and our breathing continues “without ceasing”; we are not even conscious of it, but it never stops…. Prayer is not exercise; it is the life of the saint. It is coming into perfect fellowship and oneness with God.”
Beginning in Matthew 6:5-6, Christ gave some instructions on how to pray. First of all in verse 5, He gave the wrong motive for prayer. Here is a question: Why do you pray? Christ was criticizing the hypocrites because the only time they would pray was in public and so that they could be heard by men. Some things to note: Some people love to pray in public and only in public. The hypocrites also pray much in public. The key point is that hypocrites love to pray in public so that he can receive great recognition from men.
However, in Matthew 6:6 Christ gives the right motive for praying which is to be heard by God. How is this to be done? First, have a set time to pray. Christ said, “When thou prayest.” Let me encourage you to set aside a certain time each day for prayer. Secondly, have a private place for prayer. Thirdly, have a personal relationship with God. Do you know God as your Heavenly Father?
Here are some applications to keep in mind. First of all, the sin is not failing to pray: The sin is the motive in how one prays. Secondly, as believer’s in Christ, we are instructed to pray in secret because God is interested in substance, not show. Thirdly, the reward of the genuine prayer warrior is God blesses us openly.
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