Thee, thou, art, beloved……HUH?
Matthew 6:5-8 “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for stardom! Do you think God sits in a box seat? 6 “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace. 7 “The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They’re full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. 8 Don’t fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. (The Message)
How many times do you use the words, “Thee, thou, art, beloved……” You know the ones that I am talking about, most likely geared towards a time period of speech that it’s time has passed. The King James Bible reads like beautiful poetry, and many of us were exposed to it’s beauty early in life. My favorite scripture I recite in King James because that is how I have it memorized (Matthew 6:33). I am not saying there is anything wrong with this dialect, (for a lack of a better word), for all of these are to honor God. They place great emphasis on Whom you are praying to. There is great honor, respect, and awe found in the use of them. But, they are not required to reach Him. He is hearing the words that come from your lips, but he is only listening to your heart.
This passage in Matthew is where Christ is telling us how to pray. There are those that pray for all the wrong reasons, but here Jesus is pointing to those that pray to be heard by men. They want their prayers to be a “theatrical production” The New King James version calls them hypocrites; 5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. This is pointed to the Scribes and the Pharisees of the day, the religious of the day. You still see them evident all around us still today; those that pray to be heard and receive their accolades of men. Christ tells them that is all they will get.
Don’t you love the simplicity, and even sometimes the comical nature of a child’s prayer? They are just talking to God like he is standing right there with them. They tell him whatever is on their hearts and minds. Children are naturally humble; it takes the world creeping in to bring on the pride of life that is the root of all sin. Christ teaches humility; repentance, grace, and mercy never teaching the pride of life. Christ rebuked his disciples when their eternal pride surfaced into questions of greatness; Matthew 18:2 Then Jesus called a little child to Him, set him in the midst of them, 3 and said, “Assuredly, I say to you, unless you are converted and become as little children, you will by no means enter the kingdom of heaven. 4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. Don’t let pride creep into your prayers; just keep them simple and loving in honor of who you are speaking to.
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