Community & Discipleship

The Priority of Prayer in God's Kingdom (Matt. 6:5-15)

2013.01.13Rev. Eddie Byun

Prayer holds the highest priority in God's kingdom. We learn to pray in secret to guard our motives, to pray sincerely from the heart, and to pray specifically according to the true God revealed in the Lord's Prayer.

Pray secretly to guard your motives (vv. 5-6)

Jesus teaches his disciples to pray in secret, not because public prayer is wrong, but to keep our motives pure. Prayer matters to God not only for what we pray but for why we pray. The temptation to pray in order to impress people is real, and prayer can even become a duty or drudgery. Private prayer, in whatever place we are alone, protects our hearts and strengthens our faith, because God is near and hears us. Simply wanting to be with him blesses the Lord most.

Pray sincerely, with the heart (vv. 7-8)

Jesus warns us not to heap up empty phrases, because God is not impressed by the number of our words. He looks beyond our words to our hearts and listens to the heart more than to the mouth. When our words are lip service with no heart behind them, we show disrespect to a holy God who knows our motives. So we must be honest before the Lord, bringing our anger, fear, and worries to him. In prayer we enter the sacred presence of God and seek wisdom from him, the source of all inspiration and creativity.

Pray specifically according to the God of Scripture (vv. 9-15)

The Lord's Prayer shows that our prayers reveal what we really believe about God. Jesus presents God as a loving Father who is holy, a King who reigns, the owner and provider of all things, a forgiving judge, and a strong protector. If we pray as though God does not care, we are praying to a god who is not the God of Scripture. Kingdom prayers, such as praying for justice and that God's will be done on earth as in heaven, flow from knowing who God truly is. Therefore our prayers must be shaped and grounded by Scripture.

Prayer is the language of heaven

Prayer is the language of God's kingdom because all things come from him and flow back to him. In prayer we declare that our need, our hope, and our sufficiency are found in God alone. He is our comfort when we are down, our strength when we are weak, our provision in need, and our protection in danger. We do not pray to earn God's favor but to enjoy the favor that is already ours in Christ, since the cross tore the curtain and opened the way to his throne of grace. Prayer is where we were made to live.

Apply to Life

  • Let us pray in secret in the private places of our daily lives, guarding our motives before God.
  • Let us pray sincerely, bringing our true hearts, anger, fear, and worries honestly before the Lord.
  • Let us pray from Scripture, asking the God of the Bible for kingdom prayers such as justice and the doing of his will.
  • Let us enjoy our time with God in prayer rather than rushing through it as a duty.
  • Let us rest in the Father's embrace, knowing we pray to enjoy the favor already ours in Christ.

This summary was made automatically from the sermon's captions and may differ from the sermon.

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