Matthew 6:8 “Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.”
What is the context of this passage of scripture, it
is praying to be heard. “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.” Matthew 6:5.
Prayer is a special meeting between our Father and His
child, it is a very private heart to heart talk with our Heavenly Father. It is
not a time for personal glory, it is not a time of proud speaking to be heard
as the heathen would do. God is our Omniscient or all knowing and all wise God,
so much so that He knows everything about us that there is to know, even our
most needful needs. Jesus went on in verse (31) to say, “Therefore take no
thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal
shall we be clothed?” I cannot believe that Jesus meant that we are not to
ever ask God for our needs, but we do need to remember that we are speaking to
our Omniscient Father, who does supply all our needs. We need to remember that
He is the Eternal God and knows the beginning to the end and everything in
between. As Christians we never need to be forgetful that everything in our
life is a result of God bringing them in our life. While sometimes it is hard for
us to see or to understand, we must remain conscious of God’s work and dealing
in our life. We are never walking alone but by the will and grace of God for
us. This is why we must have an active prayer life, praying many times a day. We
are asking our Heavenly Father to bless us in so many ways, because we trust
Him to answer. The Psalmist wrote, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer
him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.” Psalms
91:15 God will never give us all our that we ask for, but He will supply our
need if asked according to His will. "And this is the confidence that
we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:
And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we desired of him." 1 John 5:14 - 15 We must always be
reminded that God has ordained our life from the womb to death. Charles
Spurgeon wrote in his sermon “Shall and Will” these words, “"He shall
call upon me." It is not said, "I will give him this and that,
without his praying." He that asketh receiveth; to him that knocketh it
shall be opened; he that seeketh findeth. The asking, the knocking, the seeking
must come before the reception, the opening of the door, and the finding. This
is God's way.” That is God’s way indeed, that we do not pray in the open to
be heard but that our prayers be and opening of our hearts to God our Father. Jesus
went up into the mountain and prayed all night long, “And it came to pass in
those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night
in prayer to God.” Luke 6:12 This proves to us that an active prayer life
is only a good thing but should be part of our Christian life. We need to also
understand that it is not only that we pray but that we pray much, as Jesus
did. While public prayer is so wonderful and I love to hear God’s men pray, prayer
is also a private time between our Father and ourselves for talking to Him and
making our personal request known. Let us pray for each other, let us pray for
our Pastors, Ministers, Churches, and Missionaries and their works. There is so
much we all need to sit and talk about with God, ask and you shall receive, but
never ask amiss and never pray just to be publicly heard for your well
speaking. Ask for wisdom, knowledge, and understanding of God’s word. Ask God
to send His Holy Spirit and teach you, and to correct any doctrinal
misunderstandings. Talk to our Father about our nation and our wicked world,
about the hate in the world, and how best to present the Gospel to the lost.
Jesus prayed all night on that mountain top because He had mush to talk to His
Father about and so do we. Make a list, and talk to God about that list, point
by point. Cannot sit on a mountain and talk to God then use a closet because it
is always a better conversation when it is one on one and exceptionally long in
time. Folks, it is our prayer life, not only publicly but more so in a private
setting with us and our Gracious and loving Father. If we ever pray to be
heard, then we are praying amiss, and God will refuse to hear and answer our
prayer. The Lord said, “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.” Matt. 6:6 The
Lord does not forbid public prayer as long as it is sincere and not for show.
And when we pray, do not let us pray as though God doesn’t know our needs,
because He does.
