Knowing How To Pray

I always feel so insufficient in my prayers.  This is normal when we consider to whom we are speaking.  When we pray we are speaking to the One who placed the works of His omnipotent hand to the grindstone of His creative will and hung the universe on nothing, therefore making it a most beautiful something.  When we pray, we are speaking to the One who angels dare not even look upon as they cry out the majestic nature of His infinite holiness.  Not only do we feel insufficient, but so many times we feel so unworthy to approach the Holy One.  We feel so polluted by our sins that we cannot imagine the ability to approach the One who dwells in the high and holy place.  His throne seems so unapproachable, and it is to the person without Christ.  But those who have placed their faith in Christ must remember that because of the perfect work of Jesus, our Intercessor, we can and should “come boldly before the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” (Heb. 4:16)  There are times we don’t know what to say.  Either the pain is so difficult that words just won’t come out, or we feel so filthy that we hide in shame from our Father.  It is then we must remember Romans 8:26, “the Spirit helps in our weaknesses.  For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”  With these things fresh upon our minds, here are some thoughts on prayer from Matthew 6:5-6.

Our prayers should be private devotion not public exhibition.  Jesus begins teaching us how to pray by first telling how not to pray.  “Do not be like the hypocrites” He says.  They loved to pray publicly but were void of internal communion with God.  Jesus says we are to pray without distraction.  He says in verse 6, “when you pray, go into your room, and shut your door.”  The still and quiet place is where we find God’s guidance.  We must pray in such a way that we enjoy the presence of our Father.  Jesus says in verse 6, “pray to your Father...and your Father sees you and will reward you.”  It is a heavenly conversation as we pray to the One who is not only God, but He is our Father.  A little girl was once asked to pray in her Sunday School class.  She bowed her head, closed her eyes and said, “The Lord is my Shepherd, and that’s all I want.”  She was right.