Matthew 6:5-8 And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Prayer is an important activity for the Christian. It is both a privilege and a responsibility. It is a privilege because it is God granting us an individual audience with the almighty King of Kings. Most of us probably couldn’t score an audience with the Governor of Ohio but we can enter the throne room of God at any time (Hebrews 4:16).
Prayer is a responsibility because we are commanded to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17). Since God commands us to pray (Colossians 4:2), to fail to do so would be disobedience.
The verses above are the prelude into the “Lord’s Prayer” which Jesus gave His disciples as a model. He explains some principles of prayer that we need to know before beginning.
First, like good works, prayer earns reward. As mentioned above, praying is an act of obedience and God rewards obedience. However, when one prays for show rather than in sincere communication to God, their only reward is whatever they receive from the people they performed for.
That is not to say that all prayer needs to be done alone and behind closed doors. Group prayer is encouraged in the Bible. The point Jesus was making was that prayer should be for genuine communication with God. Any other purpose is meaningless in a spiritual sense.
Grandiose prayers are not needed. Simple prayers work just fine. We are not going to impress God with big words or repetition. Tell God what is on your heart and leave it at that. We should remember that we do not need to explain anything to God. He already knows what we want and need. He just delights in His children coming to Him with their requests.
O mighty God, I thank You for the gift of prayer. What an incredible honor and privilege to talk directly to You. Who am I that You would choose to listen to me. But Your word says that you do. Cause me to pray in a way that pleases You and is effective.