THURSDAY March 12, 2020

Insincere Prayers

“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.”
Matthew 6:5

As Jesus taught the Beatitudes, he developed the heart attitudes of giving, praying and fasting. These are three very important elements that are central to the Christian’s life. Jesus also described hypocrites, those people who prayed to be seen by men. They stood in the synagogues and on the street corners––hands lifted––praying out loud. People thought they were so spiritual––that was their reward––man’s recognition. Jesus instructed His listeners on the right way to pray; they should not draw attention to themselves.

Why is it that in the congregation, people want to stand in the front or the middle but never in the back? Who are they trying to impress? People around them! These kind of people want attention. It could be a person may stand up out of ignorance, and then God’s grace covers them. Yet there are people who know in their heart that if they stand up in front to worship or pray, everyone else behind them would think how spiritual they are.

People can even change their voices when they pray––high pitched or very low. If they make a pretense of prayer, others will be listening to them, and it will take their minds away from the Lord. Understand, prayer is an intimate time of communion and fellowship with God. It is a two-way communication whereby God speaks to us through His Word.

Christians need to be careful how they pray. Our prayers should not be long and overly spiritual. When we pray to God, it should be sincere prayers straight from our hearts. This is to be our humble attitude in prayer, and it is the right way of praying.

Prayer opens the channel between a soul and God; prayerlessness closes it. Prayer releases the grip of Satan's power; prayerlessness increases it. That is why prayer is so exhausting and so vital. If we believed it, the prayer meeting would be as full as the church.
~Alan Redpath~

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