“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. 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. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think 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.
Jesus tells us not to pray hypocritically, but what is hypocritical prayer? Simply put, it is prayer for any other reason than worship of and communion with God. Jesus first condemns people who practice "performance prayers" designed to impress others. Jesus was not condemning community prayer. He Himself prayed before others. Rather He was saying that true prayer means that you mentally retreat to a place where you are concerned only about God. This can happen even in a public setting. The real point is not where one prays, but why one prays. Prayer is never meant to glorify the one who prays; only God.
Second, Jesus condemns empty words in prayer. Many pagan prayers were not only long, but full of formulaic invocations used to catch the attention of their deity and convince that being to grant requests. In this way of thinking, if prayers were done correctly, one could manipulate the deity into giving the one who prays what he or she wanted, like a holy Santa Claus in the sky. Instead, God knows what is in our hearts already. We don't pray to convince God, but rather to express our thanks, our needs, our faith, our fears, our doubts, and our praise. We pray to open ourselves up to the guidance of God. True prayer is an act of devotion to our almighty God.
Prayer: O Lord, may my prayers glorify You and draw me closer to Your will. When I pray, help me to mentally retreat to a place where I am concerned only about You. Guide me Lord God. I am devoted to You. In Jesus' name, Amen.
* Devotions taken from The Sanctuary for Lent 2016 by Sue Mink
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