RSS

Tag Archives: vain repetitions

Simple prayers

13 Jun

Simple prayers

Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Today is a little different. I am so tired from my workload and the heat, I don’t think my brain is connected to my fingers. I sat down this morning and prayed a simple prayer; I thanked God for another day as always, I thanked him for the work and all the blessings that come with it. I thanked him for the ministry opportunities through it. I thanked him for, and asked for more physical strength to continue in it. The physical side of my job is very demanding, and I pray for strength from the One who gives it. I knew where I wanted to read God’s Word this morning, and here was what I read.

Matthew 6:5 “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. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. 9 In this manner, therefore, 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 this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. 14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

I don’t know how to start my day without prayer and some time in God’s Word. It is my daily spiritual breakfast to nourish me for the day. Some days it may be a big meal; others it may be a Pop Tart. But as we know, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. When you get up early, and all the house is quiet, it is just you and God; it is your alone time with Him. He does not want anything fancy, He wants to hear what is on your heart. This is The Message’s interpretation:

Matthew 6:5 “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.

There is so much truth in that plain English of that scripture. Do you get it?

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on June 13, 2013 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Thank you for the frogs

06 Dec

Thank you for the frogs

Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

I am not a really a fan of reality TV. So much of it is simply trash for our minds; so much of it is outrightly made for TV with maybe 10% reality at best. I had heard of the one about the country boys gone millionaires. The draw of the Beverly Hillbillies was there, and yesterday I was drawn into a marathon of it; laughing my guts out for hours on end. You can take the boy out of the country, but you cannot take the country out of the boy. This is what grabbed me; they showed the family together in prayer around the dinner table at the end of every episode. The father lead them in honest, simple, thanksgiving prayer that were different each time. They were from a country boys heart. Through research, I have seen their genuine faith in multiple speaking engagements where they were giving testimony, and simply powerful preaching.

God is not impressed; in fact God is displeased when we try to pray to impress those that may hear us. The “thee, thou, art” types of prayers that sound heavenly. The big words and the vain repetitions that have been handed down for generations. The bedtime prayers, the meal prayers; these can become those vain repetitions; not an opportunity to give heartfelt thanks for the meal or the day. When we are praying to be heard by men; we are praying in hypocrisy. We are being fake with God; and God knows our heart and the truth. We will only receive the accolade of the men that hear. Matthew 6:5 “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.

Prayer does not need grand words; prayer needs a humble sincere heart. God knows what you truly want, what you truly need, what you are going to say before you say it; He just wants you to approach Him with it.  Matthew 6:8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Prayer should always have the highest level of respect and honor; in that is found the humble heart that is required. Just talk to God like you really feel. There is no wrong way to pray if it is a humble, heartfelt prayer to the creator of the universe that granted you the breath to breath today. It can even be a prayer of thanksgiving for the frogs that lie upon the table to eat.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on December 6, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Early morning peace

18 Jun

Early morning peace

Matthew 6:6-7   But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

As I sat down here early this morning mentally and physically tired from a long week in many ways, I felt peace in my secret place. I always start my day in a dark room in prayer with only the first light of morn creeping in. Some mornings like today, I search for what to say, even stumbling through my quiet time. Satan can creep in our thoughts even in those times of prayer with feelings of inability or inadequacy. But that is Satan, and God knows your thoughts even before you ask Him. Matthew 6:8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. God just wants you to honor and seek Him daily; that relationship is what He created you for.

The busyness of the world rises with the sun, and the peace of the world flees. Gathering your thoughts in time with God in prayer and His Word will prepare you for the day greater than anything else. It is your personal alone time with God, reading His love letter to you, and praying for His guidance for the day to come. Even when we don’t know what to say, the Holy Spirit inside us communicates as our liaison. Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

This practice of early morning devotion will change your life as nothing else can promise or deliver. Time alone in a secret place with God and His Word will prepare you for the day and the troubles of the day that lie ahead. Following the principle of Matthew 6:33 (Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added unto you) will seem to allow all of the other things of life to fall into place. If you seek God and the things of God first, what you placed before God will seen to have less value, and the lens by which you view them will be filtered and focus changed.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on June 18, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,

Dad, can I pray?

16 Apr

Dad, can I pray?

Matthew 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Yesterday on the way home from a great afternoon with my oldest son, he said “Dad can I pray?” It did surprise me a little but I said sure you can. He just gave God a prayer of Thanksgiving for the great afternoon, all the fun, and with the innocence of a child. It warmed my heart to say the least. So many of us don’t pray with the excuse of not feeling as though we know how to pray. This doubt is a direct influence of Satan and the sin in our lives. There is no right or wrong way to pray if you set your heart humbly before the Almighty God. The Lord Jesus Christ gave us an outline in the Lords Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13). This is the model prayer and leads into a deeper relationship with our God. Once you set your heart before God, your desire is to spend more time with Him in communication through prayer and His Word.

I grew up with many repetitious prayers in church and in life. I believe the older we get, the more we begin to feel our prayers should sound Holy with all the “Thou Art” and some of the beautiful language that honors God. All of your prayers should honor God, and the closer you draw to Him the more God honoring your prayers become. Don’t pray for others to hear you to impress them with your prayers. Matthew 6:7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.  Prayer is not to impress anyone but to draw our hearts near to our Sovereign God. Just as with that intuition that we feel as parents when our children ask, He knows on a much grander scale what we are going to ask even before we ask it. Matthew 6:8 Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Humble yourself today in some quiet time with the One who gave you breath today, and give thanks to Him. Your every day is a gift, and the thanks for that gift is an easy place to start. Matthew 18:4 Therefore whoever humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven.

 
Leave a comment

Posted by on April 16, 2012 in Daily Devotions

 

Tags: , , , , ,