Learning To Pray Pt. 1 Jesus Said Pray Privately Without Pretense

Just a quick reminder that the blog index for each year (2019; 2020; 2021 & 2022) was posted on September 7th, 2022. You can use the indexes as a tool when searching the blog's archives for a specific topic. 

We will continue to study through Psalm 119, and to look at the will of God. However, I would like to introduce a new study on the subject of prayer. I find that I need to be refreshed regarding prayer and I suspect that many of you will benefit from this study.

I would like to begin with a New Testament perspective, starting with what our Lord Jesus taught about us about prayer.

Praying without pretense. 

Matthew 6:5  And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 

The Greek word translated "prayest" is always translated pray, prayed, prayest, or praying. 

It literally means praying to God as an act of worship. It has the idea of binding ourselves to God with a vow, or commitment to live for His glory.

This definition helps us understand the true purpose God has for our prayer time. He wants our prayers to bring our will into alignment with His will.

The word "prayest" also has the idea of an earnest pouring out from our hearts to the throne of grace. Prayer is a free will offering of our soul to God, that is conducted with solemnity because prayer is directed to our Holy God. 

Prayers express our most sincere desire to know God more intimately, so that we might love and serve Him with all of our heart. 

Prayer is also the language of dependence, recognizing that God is our Sovereign Creator, Sustainer, Savior and King. He gives us life, provides for our needs and secures our future for eternity. 

Notice that our Lord Jesus Christ says "When thou prayest" because He expects all believers in Christ to be engaged in prayer. 

Acts 9:11,12  And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12)  And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 

Praying is not an optional activity for believers. Jesus rightly expected that prayer would be an essential and central part of the Christian's walk with Him.

Jesus stopped wicked Saul of Tarsus in his tracks on the road to Damascus. As a result of his heavenly encounter, Saul was dramatically converted to Christ. 

He was also blinded and was led to Damascus by his traveling companions. Saul was blinded for three days. 

Notice that when Jesus spoke to Ananias to go to Saul, he told this devout believer that "Behold, he prayeth." Prayer was a vital necessity in the new spiritual life of Saul, and it is to be just as vital to us as well. 

All who refuse to pray are rebellious and living independently of God.

Jesus commands His disciples not to be like hypocrites when they pray. The Greek word translated "hypocrites" refers to actors playing a role in a drama. An actor pretends to be someone that he or she is not. 

Thus, hypocrites who pray, are pretending to be believers in God, but their inner man is wicked and in need of the Spirit's regenerating work. 

The Pharisees prayed standing on a busy street corner, so that other people might see them praying, and assume that they were a very religious person. 

Jesus said that hypocrites loved to pray in prominent public domains, where many other people could observe their religious activity. Praying with pretense has no power and does nothing for the individual. 

Pray in private.

Matthew 6:6  But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 

This text is where the concept of a prayer closet originated. Jesus gives us the contrast between believers prayers and the prayers of hypocrites.

When believers in Christ pray, we are emphatically told to pray in private. The word "closet" literally refers to an inner chamber or secret room. 

It is not enough for us to enter this secret room, for Jesus also tells us to shut the door. It is the idea of praying with intense privacy between the believer and God. 

Matthew 14:23  And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone. 

Isaac went out into his fields in the evening to pray (Genesis 24:63). Jesus often sought solitude when praying to His Father in heaven. The apostle Peter went up on the house top to pray to God, before the servants of Cornelius came to visit him (Acts 10:9).

Such a private prayer place is the complete opposite of the hypocrite's venue for prayer. They loved praying in public places not because they loved to pray, but because they loved being noticed by others. 

Jesus wants our place of prayer to be a private place, where we can shut out the world and its endless distractions. 

Our Father in heaven is the One whom we are praying to when we go into our prayer closet. He observes us when we pray privately and He hears us when we pray to Him. 

Jesus saw Nathaniel sitting under the fig tree before Philip brought him to see Christ (John 1:48). He observed Saul praying to have his sight restored at a house located at the street named "Straight" (Acts 9:11).

Private prayer, open reward from the Father.

2 Kings 4:32,33  And when Elisha was come into the house, behold, the child was dead, and laid upon his bed. 33)  He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the LORD.  

Elisha went with the Shunamite woman whose son had just died. She was in great distress and the prophet of God went into the room alone, where the child was laid. He shut the door and prayed to Jehovah. 

What happened next is a great example of the Father rewarding secret prayer in a very open manner. Jehovah heard His prophet's secret prayer and raised the boy back to life (2 Kings 4:33-37).

Thus, God sees us when we pray, where we pray, and knows the attitude of our heart during prayer. The Pharisee received his reward in prayer, by gaining the admiration of men. 

The believer in Christ knows his prayer will be openly received by the Father, and there may be times when the Father's answer is very open. 

It is the Father's good pleasure and delight to give not only what we ask, and more than we ask, but to reward even the act of sincere prayer itself! 

I once worked a job that I really did not like and I began to pray each day that the Lord would change my attitude. After some time passed, it hit me that I was still doing the same job and enjoying it. 

I paused to reflect on how good God is to change my attitude, rather than merely to change my circumstances. 

Thoughts to Ponder...

There are two main thoughts from this post. First, when we pray we must pray without pretense. That is, we are not to publicly call attention to the fact that we are praying. 

Hypocrites sinned greatly because they loved the praise of men rather than the praise of God. They were happiest when other people saw them praying on a busy street corner and admired their religious nature. 

Second, we must pray privately when possible. It certainly helps us pray without distractions, if we have a private room where we can shut the door and keep the world out.

There will be times when a situation requiring urgent prayer presses in on us, when we do not have access to a private place. Jesus groaned within Himself when approaching the grave of Lazarus (John 11). 

That is a time when our heart becomes quiet before the Lord, and we pray fervently and internally to our wonderful God. 

Praying without hypocrisy and praying privately are two wonderful things that Jesus taught us in this post. May the Spirit of God help us in living out this important truth about our prayer life. 

Bob