Why it matters//
Jesus teaches us how to pray to our heavenly Father. He highlights the importance of our heart’s positioning and warns us not to pray like hypocrites, who love to be seen by others and who recite meaningless words. Instead, we should cultivate intimacy with God by spending time with Him in the secret place. Every believer needs to cultivate their own prayer life, it’s not enough to only pray in church or together with other believers. Prayer is communication with God, and, as we spend time with Him in the secret place our own lives become transformed and our relationship with Him grows deeper.
What it’s talking about//
The Gospel of Matthew is one of the four accounts of the life and ministry of Jesus. Although it doesn’t mention the author’s name, most scholars would agree that Matthew, one of the twelve apostles, is the author. Some believe that this book was written in the early church period, around 50 AD when the gospel was preached mainly to Jewish people but it could also be written as late as 60-70 AD. The audience is mainly Jewish, and the purpose of the book is to show that Jesus is the promised Messiah and that he fulfilled the OT scriptures through his life and ministry. This passage is from the sermon on the mount when a large crowd had gathered to hear Jesus speak.
Matthew 6:5-13 NIV
5 “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.
6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
9 “This, then, is how you should 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 today our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.