40 Days of PRAYER - 15
Dr Jim Brown's TruNorth Devotional
40 Days of PRAYER
Day 15 | PRIVATE PRAYING
40 Days of PRAYER
Day 15 | PRIVATE PRAYING
PRIVATE PRAYING
Matthew 6:6
“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
This verse is part of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” and occurs just before what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.”
Here, Jesus is teaching His listeners about prayer. The context is that the Pharisees used to pray elaborate prayers for everyone to hear and thus know how “great” they were. Part of what that did was make the “regular guy or gal on the street” feel utterly inadequate in praying to God.
I suppose that the “Amazing Pharisees” were looking to be admired for their “spiritual walk and talk” but primarily for their “Amazing Prayers.” This might have implied, “Don’t try this at home folks but leave praying to the professionals.”
It’s clear that Jesus disapproved of this, but instead was interested in getting the ordinary person to learn to pray. And so as not to get them mixed up with the Pharisees, Jesus told them to “go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.” He was also teaching that the simple, sincere prayer is what the Father desires to hear.
This doesn’t mean there is not a place for public praying… there is. But the Pharisees must have been making it a stumbling block for the “regular people” to pray to God independently. They must have been implying, “I’ll pray for you, I know how and God listens to me.”
Jesus teaches that the Father really wants to hear from everyone and rewards those simple, sincere, private prayers.
Prayer: LORD, I am so glad I don’t have to be a professional in my praying. I’ll just continue to talk to you in my own words and in private about my life and then listen for You to guide and teach me. Amen.
Matthew 6:6
“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.”
This verse is part of Jesus’ “Sermon on the Mount” and occurs just before what we call “The Lord’s Prayer.”
Here, Jesus is teaching His listeners about prayer. The context is that the Pharisees used to pray elaborate prayers for everyone to hear and thus know how “great” they were. Part of what that did was make the “regular guy or gal on the street” feel utterly inadequate in praying to God.
I suppose that the “Amazing Pharisees” were looking to be admired for their “spiritual walk and talk” but primarily for their “Amazing Prayers.” This might have implied, “Don’t try this at home folks but leave praying to the professionals.”
It’s clear that Jesus disapproved of this, but instead was interested in getting the ordinary person to learn to pray. And so as not to get them mixed up with the Pharisees, Jesus told them to “go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.” He was also teaching that the simple, sincere prayer is what the Father desires to hear.
This doesn’t mean there is not a place for public praying… there is. But the Pharisees must have been making it a stumbling block for the “regular people” to pray to God independently. They must have been implying, “I’ll pray for you, I know how and God listens to me.”
Jesus teaches that the Father really wants to hear from everyone and rewards those simple, sincere, private prayers.
Prayer: LORD, I am so glad I don’t have to be a professional in my praying. I’ll just continue to talk to you in my own words and in private about my life and then listen for You to guide and teach me. Amen.
Recent
Categories
Archive
2025
January
40 DAYS OF NEW - 0340 DAYS OF NEW - 0440 DAYS OF NEW - 0540 DAYS OF NEW - 0640 DAYS OF NEW - 0740 DAYS OF NEW - 0840 DAYS OF NEW - 0940 DAYS OF NEW - 1040 DAYS OF NEW - 1140 DAYS OF NEW - 1240 DAYS OF NEW - 1340 DAYS OF NEW - 1440 DAYS OF NEW - 1540 DAYS OF NEW - 1640 DAYS OF NEW - 1740 DAYS OF NEW - 1840 DAYS OF NEW - 1940 DAYS OF NEW - 2040 DAYS OF NEW - 2140 DAYS OF NEW - 2240 DAYS OF NEW - 2340 DAYS OF NEW - 2440 DAYS OF NEW - 25
February
40 DAYS OF NEW - 2640 DAYS OF NEW - 2740 DAYS OF NEW - 2840 DAYS OF NEW - 2940 DAYS OF NEW - 3040 DAYS OF NEW - 3140 DAYS OF NEW - 3240 DAYS OF NEW - 3340 DAYS OF NEW - 3440 DAYS OF NEW - 3540 DAYS OF NEW - 3640 DAYS OF NEW - 3740 DAYS OF NEW - 3840 DAYS OF NEW - 3940 DAYS OF NEW - 4040 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0140 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0240 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0340 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0440 DAYS OF PROMISE - 05
March
40 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0640 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0740 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0840 DAYS OF PROMISE - 0940 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1040 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1140 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1240 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1340 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1440 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1540 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1640 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1740 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1840 DAYS OF PROMISE - 1940 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2040 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2140 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2240 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2340 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2440 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2540 DAYS OF PROMISE - 26
April
40 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2740 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2840 DAYS OF PROMISE - 2940 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3040 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3140 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3240 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3340 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3440 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3540 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3640 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3740 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3840 DAYS OF PROMISE - 3940 DAYS OF PROMISE - 4040 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0140 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0240 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0340 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0440 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0540 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0640 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0740 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 08
May
40 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 0940 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1040 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1140 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1240 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1340 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1440 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1540 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1640 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1740 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1840 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 1940 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 2040 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 2140 MORE DAYS OF JOY - 22