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God invites us to communicate with Him through prayer and the joy of this relationship of reverence is that we don't need to seek his attention - He waits on us to call out to Him and He already knows what we need. But, we need to be mindful about our motivations behind our prayers. We should avoid the trap of praying to draw attention to ourselves and feeding our feelings of significance. Rather, pray succinctly, sincerely and simply in secret.
Message Notes 25/08/2024
"5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation,but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins." Matthew 6:5-15
Jesus calls us to humble righteousness by serving in secret when we practice:
1/ Almsgiving (charity) and giving generously.
2/ Prayer.
3/ Fasting.
Jesus dissuades hypocritical behaviour that reflects:
A misalignment between heart and hands.
Doing the right thing for the wrong reasons for fear of insignificance.
Striving for significance, reward or honour which is short lived.
Humble bragging and social media posting for recognition or significance.
Avoiding hypocrisy:
Practice humble righteousness in secret.
Serve to glorify God.
There are no shortcuts to formation when praying. And when you pray ...
Don't be a showoff:
Praying to be seen.
Annoying everyone except yourself.
Calling attention to yourself to feel significant.
Don't pray long speeches:
Don't pray empty phrases aimed at manipulating or persuading rather than communicating with God
You don't need to seek God's attention - He already knows what you need and you have His affection as His adopted son or daughter.
Focus on succinct, sincere, simple prayers in secret:
1/ Prayer is relational
2/ Prayer is formative 3/ Prayer is a reminder of a bigger story
Focus on the FIRSTs of the Lord's prayer:
Foundational
Invitational
Relational
Spiritual
Transformational
Deeply formative, grounding and personal prayer:
Pray through your relationship with God and with reverence for Him.
Our Father in heaven.
Hallowed = deeply honoured.
Your Kingdom come, your will be done - expectation and anticipation - rule & reign.
Daily bread = dependence.
Forgiveness = humility.
Lead us not = wisdom in daily choices.
"Liturgies shape our habits and order our desires. Physical acts are like portals to the heart." James K.A. Smith
Without a revelation of the Father, prayer is pretentious and full of empty phrases. However, when you say YES to a relationship with the Father you begin to live like a daughter or son of God and you are assured of His:
Affection
Adoption
Attention
"So in Christ Jesus you are all children of God through faith," Galatians 3:26
Call to action
"6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Matthew 6:6
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