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After telling His disciples on how
not to pray (Mt 6:5-8), Jesus introduces His disciples on how to pray –
literally, “in this manner” or “in this way.” Jesus expects for us to pray –
“therefore [you] pray” (cf. 1 Thes 5:17), but notice that in His introductory
statement he did not say, “In this manner pray using only these words.” Prayer is relational (“our Father”), not
ritual or merely a recitation. We are talking to a Person who is all-knowing and all-present (everywhere
present). He knows; He sees; He’s there; but not only that, He is all-powerful;
the Father has all-ability to answer our prayers according to His will, an answer that does not cut against the grain of Scripture. “When
you pray” we are not to be like the hypocrites to be “seen” (Mt 6:5, referring
to the Pharisees) or like the heathen to be “heard” (Mt 6:7).
“When you pray” is further explained by Paul
as a command to pray continually (1 Thes 5:17), an attitude of prayer 24/7; we
are to go “live” with God anywhere, anytime, any position, audible or silent
but not to be seen or using highly repetitive sounds, chants, or words. Our barriers
to prayer often stem from being in a place where we can’t pray or living out
our lives like practical atheist; we treat God as non-existent until we need
something from Him that is out of our reach or during a crisis of some kind. Either
case violates the command of 1 Thes 5:17.
Jesus gave His disciples a
model or pattern of prayer – “in this manner,” because the problem is we don’t
always pray according to the will of God (Rom 8:26-27). This could really be
called the disciples prayer (Cf. Lk 11:1). There are six petitions in all. The
first three relate to God (Mt 6:9-10) and the other three to human need (Mt
6:11-13). This is analogous to the Ten Commandments where the first four relate
to our relationship with God and the remaining six pertain to human
relationships. This God before man priority is a fundamental dynamic often
missed or ignored in the daily routine of life for it suggests that our
relationship to God determines our relationship with others, and the effectiveness
of our prayers is determined by our relationship with God as well.
The Pharisees had it all figured out on how to pray – long, hard, and public. It's too bad they never took the words of Solomon to heart – "For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few” (Eccl 5:2). There was so much confusion about prayer in Jesus’ day. He sets the record straight for His disciples and for us who desire to talk to Him. Doesn’t it really make sense that we understand the pattern of prayer in Mt 6:9-13 if we desire to talk with God, experience sweet fellowship, and have our prayers answered! Lord, teach us to pray. <><
The Pharisees had it all figured out on how to pray – long, hard, and public. It's too bad they never took the words of Solomon to heart – "For God is in heaven, and you on earth; therefore let your words be few” (Eccl 5:2). There was so much confusion about prayer in Jesus’ day. He sets the record straight for His disciples and for us who desire to talk to Him. Doesn’t it really make sense that we understand the pattern of prayer in Mt 6:9-13 if we desire to talk with God, experience sweet fellowship, and have our prayers answered! Lord, teach us to pray. <><
