The Sermon on the MountSample

Prayer

Once again, Jesus takes it for granted that believers will pray. He does not say that there is no place for public prayer, and that every prayer should be kept secret. The contrast is between those who pray to be seen by others and those who pray to be heard by God. The room in v.6 was where treasures were also kept. Continuous prayer means that believers can count on treasures being added each time they speak with our heavenly Father. For those who have trouble finding a private place for prayer, Matthew Henry says, "if the circumstances be such that we cannot possibly avoid being taken notice of, we must not therefore neglect the duty, lest the omission be a greater scandal than the observation of it."

Jesus goes on to examine the content of prayers, both public and private. The word used for babbling on (v.7 NIV) means "don't talk nonsense". Pagan prayers, which repeat stock phrases endlessly without any assurance of being heard, serve as a negative example. We, on the other hand, converse with God who already knows our needs. This does not mean, however, that prayer is superfluous. On the contrary, this is an incentive and encouragement for us to reach out to our Father.

Jesus presents a model of prayer that, in light of what he said earlier, should not be repeated mechanically. It contains elements of a personal prayer that is grounded in a relationship with God as our Father. The emphasis falls on God: hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done. Thus, the emphasis is placed on reciprocal roles: God is God, and we are His. Prayer is not restricted to only the great spiritual themes, but also to the seemingly more common ones, like our daily bread. Our relationship with God has a direct impact on our relationships with others. We also ask that the trials of life do not become an opportunity for us to be spiritually tempted.

Forgiving others shows that we have understood and accepted God's forgiveness in our lives. A harsh attitude and lack of forgiveness hinder our prayers. The parable of the Unmerciful Servant in Matthew 18:23-35 ends with a call for forgiveness from the heart. We have received the "ministry of reconciliation" (2 Corinthians 5:18 NIV); the message is not only about reconciliation with God but also between people (Ephesians 2:14-16).

• Do you pray to your Heavenly Father every day?
• Prayer has been defined as "the breath of the soul".
• Don't hold your spiritual breath for too long!