Perhaps you’ve done it before. You dial someone’s phone number but accidentally press a wrong number. Then you hear that awful tone that pierces your eardrum and voice that says, “The number you have dialed is not service. Please check the number and try again.” Because you didn’t type the right number you were unable to get through to your friends house. Jesus wants us to know that prayer is like that. There are certain ways that we may pray that keep God from hearing our prayer.
The key idea that Jesus portrays in this passage is that we must avoid entertaining false ideas of praying that are ineffective and diligently cling to the kind of prayer that is a vital link between ourselves and God.
1. Patterns to Avoid
We are only going to look at the first four verses of this Scripture this morning. And in the first four verses of this passage Jesus gives us two patterns of prayer to avoid. Two patterns that if we are to be effective in our praying we must avoid.
A. Hypocritical showmanship (vv. 5-6)
i. Defined (v. 5)
The first pattern of prayer to avoid is hypocritical showmanship. We note hypocritical showmanship defined in verse 5. Jesus defines hypocritical showmanship in two ways. First, these hypocritical showmen have a different love. Their love is to be seen by others. This is what Jesus says at the beginning of verse 5. “They love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men.” They want everyone to know that they pray. They want everyone to know that they have it all together. They desire people to think that they are so holy they can’t even hold in their prayer until they get to church.
What Jesus is saying is that these people aren’t praying to be heard by God. They are praying to be seen by men. Their praying is merely a means of drawing attention to themselves. They are not looking for an answer to their prayers. They are looking to be exalted in the eyes of people around them. They are basking in the attention that it brings to them. They are worshipping no doubt. But they are worshipping themselves.
The second way that Jesus defines hypocritical showmanship is that these people have a different reward. At the end of verse 5 Jesus says that they have their reward in full. Their reward is to be honored by men. This means that they miss God’s reward. Instead of praying out of a need for God’s help and a recognition of God’s greatness they are praying out of a desire to be honored by others. Jesus says they have received their reward in full. The problem with this is that this kind of reward cannot satisfy. The praise of man is fleeting. People may praise us one day and be down on us the next.
One young baseball pitcher was up and coming. In his first series of games he pitched two no hitters in a row. People were praising him and exalting him. Then reality struck when a newspaper reporter said, “Hey do it again on Thursday.” His victory celebration had been cut short. What he did on Tuesday would no longer matter on Thursday.
To bring the point home a little closer let’s move to the Christian realm. I read an article from a certain gospel preacher about his own experience. He says the following:
“Recently I spoke at a large auditorium. The moment I stepped off the stage, I began asking friends and associates how I’d done. There were high-fives, encouraging comments to the effect that I’d hit a home run. I went back to the hotel quite pleased with myself. The next morning I went to my knees. But God wasn’t to be found. I asked, ‘What have I done? Where are You?’ In that very instant, it was if I sensed God asking me a direct question: ‘Last night, why didn’t you ask Me how you did? You came to me for power to speak but went to your friends to seek their opinions.’ I realized that I had sought the approval of men. I confessed my sin and repented. Immediately the sweetness of God’s presence returned. It shocked me into seeing that the only One I’ve ever needed to please is God.”
Unfortunately Jesus says that these people who want others to hear them pray have received their reward. These people don’t realize that they are exchanging an unlimited blessing for a limited reward.
Matthew has made it clear that this practice has been relegated to the hypocrites who have no relationship to God. They have made THEMSELVES God. Exaltation of self is their joy. Yet Matthew likewise makes it clear that we, who do have a relationship with Him, CAN fall prey to this same self-exalting trap. We too can value exaltation of self above God.
So before we pass judgment on these ancient hypocrites let’s make sure that we too don’t fall into the trap into which these men have fallen. Do we love to have people see us in a certain way? Do we want people to think that we have it all together? If we are too down or upset or crying, do we avoid the church crowd so they won’t think that we aren’t perfect. When we’re in church do we try to make it look that we are the most holy person there by the way we worship? Are we compelled by our own pride to maintain some kind of front? Are we afraid that if people know the truth that we have struggles that they will not love us nor be concerned for us? Or does our pride simply call us to seek the applause of men instead of the applause of heaven.
ii. Corrected
This brings us from hypocritical showmanship defined in verse 5 to hypocritical showmanship corrected in verse 6. Here Jesus says, “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.”
Let me say first what Jesus is NOT saying in correcting this hypocritical showmanship. He is not saying to find a literal closet in which to pray. We may have a fine hiding spot to pray but we can make such a big deal about it to people that we end up doing the same thing as if we were praying on the street corner. We can act so humbly about letting people know about how much we pray or how well we pray that we reflect the same hypocrisy as these Pharisees. Secondly, Jesus is also not forbidding public prayer. He is not saying do not give thanks if you go to a restaurant. Especially if you are in the biblical habit of giving thanks for your food at home. What you shouldn’t do is, “(LOUDLY) Lord, thank you for this food. Lord I pray that these people here would come to know that you died on the cross for their sins and that if they simply trust in your payment on the cross that they would be saved.” We know that Jesus isn’t forbidding public prayer because Jesus prayed in public. Jesus gave thanks in public. The difference is that He wasn’t doing it for show.
Truly Jesus is speaking about our attitude in prayer. He is telling us that our reason for praying is to seek the Father not to seek man’s approval. It is to desire our reward from Him and not from people.
So what does this mean for you and me? It means that we must give up publicly performing in worship. What I mean by that is I should worship and pray without thought of whether what I am doing is going to impress others. It means that how close I am with God is determined more by how I speak to Him when I am alone in my car than by how I sound when I pray in church. It doesn’t mean that I don’t discuss my prayer life with others but it means that I must examine my motives in why I am telling someone about my prayer life. Am I telling them to encourage them in their prayer life or am I telling them to show off? “Well I was busy I only got an hour and a half in on my prayer time today.”
Though others can only see what goes on outside God sees what’s in the heart. We have to make sure that our motives are pure before God when we pray. When Jesus talks about the Father seeing what is going on in secret He is talking about looking at our intention in prayer. If it is to truly seek the Father and communicate with Him we will receive the applause from Him. And that kind of applause is lasting. That is the kind of applause that gives us true joy.
B. Paganistic ritualism (vv. 7-8)
The second pattern of prayer that Jesus says must be avoided is paganistic ritualism. This is found in verses 7 & 8.
i. Defined
In verse 7 we see paganistic ritualism defined. Here Jesus says, “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.” Here Jesus is speaking about the pagan religions that considered the counting of certain memorized prayers as efficacious in bringing about an effect from their god. This counting system was often carried out by what are known as “prayer wheels” still seen in eastern religions today or by chains of prayer beads. As a person would pray some particular memorized prayer they would move their hand along the wheel or to the next bead until they reached a desired number of prayers or grew tired of “praying” any longer.
What is behind the multiplied revolutions of the prayer wheel or the counted prayer beads? What myth is Jesus trying to debunk? It is the myth that our own self-effort will effect a response from God.
A publication I was reading on Muslim practice described the ritual for their pilgrimage to Mecca. They run back and forth between mosques. They kiss stones and recite certain prayers. This goes on for over 9 days. And by it the Muslims attest to being able to receive some kind of special blessing from Allah. These Muslim practices are the same kinds of pagan practices that had been carried out for ages of which Jesus was speaking.
What Jesus is declaring to us as believers is that God can never be manipulated by revolutions on a prayer wheel or laps around a set of prayer beads nor by anything else. Our expectation of a response from God other than through the gracious character of God is pagan in origin. And in the same way we need to avoid mindless chatter and mechanistic praying that seeks to manipulate God on the basis of speaking the right words.
ii. Corrected
So in verse 8 we see this paganistic ritualism corrected. Jesus says, “Don’t be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.” So does this mean that we don’t need to ask because God knows what we need?
No. Jesus is saying we must avoid praying like the heathen without any heart in it because our Father knows what we have need of and He is eagerly waiting to answer it. Our prayer should come from a heart that recognizes its need before a Father who is willing, yes, waiting to answer according to His good pleasure and our actual need.
God doesn’t answer our prayer according to our perceived need but our actual need. Jesus said a father wouldn’t give his son a poisonous snake if he asked for bread. But neither would a good father give his child a poisonous snake, even if he asked for it, if his real need was for bread. Do you see that God is not going to give us everything for which we ask? He is only going to give us that which we truly need. And this in itself should excite us if we truly realize that God only wants what is best for us. The problem is, however, that we, like spoiled children, seek to connive and attain that which God never intended for us to have. And so we miss the blessing of God providing that which He does want to provide.
We need to come before God like a child coming to his or her father to ask something of which the father is already aware that they need.. If he is a good dad (Oh and our heavenly Father IS a good dad) then he will provide what we need. He is merely waiting for us to ask. So Jesus says, “Don’t come to the Father asking like the heathen do.” (Dolefully) “Father we ask you to bless Aunt Martha and bless Uncle Fred and help me, if you can, to smile once tomorrow.” Come asking like someone who knows that their Father loves them and is waiting to answer. We should be eager in our prayer because our Father is eager to answer.
Nor does Jesus’ correction of this pagan attempt at manipulation mean that we cannot ask God for something more than once. Why do we know this? As we saw 2 weeks ago, Jesus asked the Father at least three times for Him to remove the cup that He was about to suffer. We also know that in 2 Corinthians, the apostle Paul asked the Lord three times to remove some kind of suffering in his life.
Sometimes when my son asks for something I wait and see if it is really something that he wants or if it’s a passing fancy. I look at his continued response. Does he recognize that it is something he needs or can he go without? Does he ask again week after week? Then I know he knows he needs it.
It is when he asks, “Daddy, can I have a drink of water, Daddy can I have a drink of water . . . . . . . . . . . .” as if he is trying to manipulate his way into a glass of water that I stop him. In the same way God shuts those out who mindlessly repeat memorized words over and over as if the mere repetition of the words should cause God to sit up and take notice.
But do you find yourself slipping into that mode of familiarity that breeds contempt? Do you repeat the same prayers day after day not because your heart recognizes the need for them but because you’ve done it for so long? Sometimes I find myself praying this way for my family members who are unsaved. I have their names burned in my mind in a certain pattern after years of praying for them. And praying for them can become a mindless task that must be accomplished. I forget the passion with which I once prayed for them. It was a passion that arose out of seeing the necessity of their conversion lest they perish in hell. But at times I rush through it as if I was quoting Shakespeare for a high school exam, “Friends, Romans countrymen lend me your ears. I have come to bury Caesar not to praise him.” And when I recognize that this is no more than what the heathen do I must confess to God that I am merely making meaningless repetition. Am I the only one who has found this to be true? Or do you too find yourself doing that also?
From these two corrections that Jesus gives, He describes the kind of prayer that we should be praying. First we should pray in a way that refuses to be concerned about what others are thinking about us. Our desire in prayer should be to reach God not to impress people. Therefore we must put off the following:
Not praying in front of others because we are not eloquent or don’t know how to make “good” prayers.
Praying with a tone that will cause others to know how holy we are.
Praying in a language that thou mayest not normally find in a dictionary that thou may expressest to people that thy prayers are special.
These all seek a response from others. If prayer is simply talking to God then our prayer should reflect our hearts not our masks.
Secondly we should pray in a way that is not legalistic nor without true recognition of our need. Therefore we must put off the following:
Reading through a prayer list of names of people whom we do not know and without any knowledge of what they really need.
Reciting some favorite mantra of ours like, “Lord bless so and so” which really has no meaning apart from a context of recognizing their needs.
Prayer with no eager expectation of coming to our Father who knows what’s best for us and thinking that just because we pray it He has to answer it our way is unbiblical. In other words let us put off our pagan ideas of thinking we can manipulate God.
So this part of the message has really been the negative side of prayer. And though it has shown us a couple of key elements to prayer, namely, having the right motivation and making sure we have the right view of God, we will have to wait until next week to look at the pattern that we should follow. This will be the pattern that really shows us the heart of prayer.
So let me leave you with some questions to ponder about your own prayer life as we wait to see what Jesus has for us next week in the following verses. Think on these this week as you pray.
1. Are there times that I pray merely to gain other’s approval?
2. Do I often think about how much greater God’s approval is than man’s?
3. Do I neglect to come to God in prayer because I fail to see that He truly is a loving Father eager to meet my needs?
4. Have I allowed my prayer life to become routine and mindless or do I recognize my needs before God with heartfelt compassion?