As God’s children, Jesus asks us to have a relationship with our heavenly Father through meaningful prayers. #Reflectonthis #DailyReflection https://youtu.be/UiJ83h5GrDw

Scripture Reading: Matthew 6: 7-15
When you are praying, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.  Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
 “Pray then in this way:
Our Father in heaven,
  hallowed be your name.
  Your kingdom come.
  Your will be done,
  on earth as it is in heaven.
  Give us this day our daily bread.
  And forgive us our debts,
  as we also have forgiven our debtors.
  And do not bring us to the time of trial,
  but rescue us from the evil one.
For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you; but if you do not forgive others, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

 

Reflection
Jesus says, "Beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them” (Matthew 6:1). He says, "When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners that they may be seen by men. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you” (see Matthew 6:5-6). So, does this mean we should only pray within closed doors? No. Community prayer is essential. It builds the family of Christ.  Jesus has commissioned us to make disciples of all nations (see Matthew 28:19). How are we going to do that if we don’t worship God in the company of others? The question to ask ourselves is our intention for doing things in public. Whether it is praying or preaching or teaching, our motives are what Jesus questions. Is it to glorify God’s name or ours?


We could compare that to someone who frequently posts about their love for their family on social media, perhaps accompanied by beautiful family pictures. And what is our response? We tend to hold them in high esteem while we comment on their posts with an array of emojis.  But what if the sad reality is that they do not spend any personal time with their family and the love seen on social media doesn't really exist? In this passage, Jesus emphasizes the need for personal prayer as he wants us to have a relationship with our Father. We are his children, after all, aren’t we? (see 1 John 3:1) He wants us to receive rewards of heavenly peace, joy, and love.  And to guide us on how to pray, he gifted us a beautiful prayer that we now call the Lord’s prayer.


1. We start by acknowledging and praising our Almighty God.
2. We submit to the will of God in repentance and obedience.
3. God knows what we need, so we pray with confidence and trust, knowing that he will give us what is right and necessary.

4. We ask for forgiveness of our sins with a promise to forgive others too.  This ensures complete healing and renewal of our soul.
5. We ask for discernment, strength, and self-control to not yield to temptation and that we may be delivered from the evil one.


We have established that our personal time with God is important so that our public prayers are more meaningful and only for the glory of God and not ourselves. The public, on the other hand, also needs to do the same.  We can encourage speakers and leaders but cannot allow ourselves to idolize and glorify the messenger of God's word more than the word who is Jesus. Whatever side of the fence we are on, let us just remember that it is all about our God.

All glory and praise are only to him.