The disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. They meant effective or effectual prayers. In Matthew 6:6-13, Jesus answered, And 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 in praying 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 atmosphere
Jesus’ command that we should enter our room and shut the door in prayer is to create the right atmosphere for prayer. Communication with God must be done in privacy as a mark of respect. It must be in a serene, peaceful or tranquil atmosphere.
The atmosphere must be free from avoidable disruption and interferences including noise. It must be free from anything that would shift our attention and focus. It must be an atmosphere of reverence and waiting. The atmosphere must be conducive to God’s presence. This is why most people prefer to pray at night or dawn when the atmosphere is quiet, cool and calm. At such times, we are also refreshed to pour our hearts and wrestle with God.
The two-fold principles
Every prayer is supposed to be effective if it satisfies Jesus’ prescribed condition which showed to his disciples. The conditions are two fold, first, our relationship with Christ Jesus at the time of prayer; and two, the environment for prayer. Jesus is not as much concerned about the environment as our state of relationship or standing with him at prayer.
Our hearts
Jesus demands a clean heart and a right spirit, Psalms 51:10. This means a broken spirit; a broken and a contrite heart are the only things that Jesus Christ will not reject or despise but accept wholeheartedly and happily so, Psalms 51:17. Further, Psalms 66:18 says, if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.
Our words
Jesus has cautioned us that in praying we should not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do. This means we should be businesslike or business minded in our prayer approach. We should know the purpose of the prayer and must simply go straight to it. Words are offshoots of the heart therefore a deceitful heart will produce a deceitful tongue. Noise making is not prayer but hypocrisy.
Misconception
God is rather impressed about the state of our hearts and not about heaping of words which cannot move him. God is interested in your substance and not the many words or utterances. On many occasions, the words we heap up in prayer are just impressionistic particularly during congregational prayer. We are deluded that we would be heard with many words which is never true. Business minded people speak less but say more. It is disobedience to be like the Gentiles when Jesus says we should not.
God’s foreknowledge
Jesus says our Father in heaven knows what we need before we ask him. Every responsible father knows the needs of his children through effective interaction and warm relationship or embrace. We can always connect with Jesus with a right relationship so we will just ask and it shall be done. Jesus said, in Matthew 7:7-8, Ask and it shall be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For every one who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Prayer
Our heavenly father, we pray that you may give us the spirit of truth and honesty to enable us to connect with you always in prayer. Help us to be forthright with you and eschew deceit even in prayer. We pray in the blessed name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen!!!
