Monday, October 26, 2020

PT-1 "The True Audience: God" (Matt. 6:6)

 

SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/26/2020 9:29 AM

 

My Worship Time                                                           Focus:  PT-1 “The True Audience:  God”

 

Bible Reading & Meditation                                                 Reference:  Matthew 6:6

 

            Message of the verse:  6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you.”

 

            If I would ask you the question “What is the basic definition of prayer?”  What would your answer be?  When we are praying to God what we are doing is communicating with Him, we are in communion with God when we pray.  If God is not involved then there is no involvement there with Him, only pretense of prayer.  The Bible states that if a husband does not treat his wife right then God will not answer his prayers.  If we sin and then do not repent of our sin before God then we are out of fellowship with Him and He will not answer our prayers.  Begin each day with the words found in Psalm 139 23-24 “23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; Try me and know my anxious thoughts; 24 And see if there be any hurtful way in me, And lead me in the everlasting way.”  I really don’t want to go down a rabbit hole here but perhaps we should look at the preceding verses in this psalm. 17 How precious also are Your thoughts to me, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18 If I should count them, they would outnumber the sand. When I awake, I am still with You. 19 O that You would slay the wicked, O God; Depart from me, therefore, men of bloodshed. 20 For they speak against You wickedly, And Your enemies take Your name in vain. 21 Do I not hate those who hate You, O LORD? And do I not loathe those who rise up against You? 22 I hate them with the utmost hatred; They have become my enemies.  After these verses David asks God to search his heart to make sure that there is nothing between God and him.  By the way there was nothing wrong with what David was praying about as he was not really a schizophrenic.

 

            John MacArthur writes “Not only must He be involved, but centrally involved.  Prayer is God’s provision; it is God’s idea, not man’s.  There could be no prayer if God did not condescend to speak with us, and we could not know how to pray had He not chosen to instruct us.”

 

            What Jesus is teaching here is very simple and it is in contrast to the complicated and difficult traditions.  As we look at the phrase “when you pray” we see that this implies great latitude.  The Lord Jesus does not prescribe time or occasion when it comes to prayer.  MacArthur adds “The tameion (inner room) could be any sort of small room or chamber, even a storage closet.  Such rooms were often secret and used to store valued possessions for protection.  The idea is that on going to the most private place available.”

 

            We have already talked about the fact that Jesus does not forbid or even condemn public prayer.  1 First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, 2 for kings and all who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. 3 This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, 4 who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:1-4).  Now what Jesus is doing here seems to be to make as great a contrast as possible to the practice of the scribes, Pharisees, and other hypocritical religionists.  Jesus’ primary point here is not talking about place but talking about attitude.  Jesus says that if it is necessary go to the most secluded, private place you can find, in order that you will not be tempted to show off.  He says go there and then “shut the door,” so that you will be alone with your Father, and then “pray to your Father.”  Do whatever necessary to be alone with God so that you can talk to Him.

 

            Spiritual meaning for my life today:  Jesus is saying for me to be alone, for the most part, when I am praying to the Father, and this is something that is needed on my part to do a better job at.

 

My Steps of Faith for Today:  Remember that I serve a God who forgives me of all of my sins, and to remember to confess any sins to the Lord so that I can have sweet fellowship with Him.

 

10/26/2020 10:03 AM

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