SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 10/25/2020 9:46 AM
My Worship Time Focus:
PT-5 “The Audience of Prayer”
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Matthew 6:5
Message of the
verse: “5
"And when you pray, you are not to be as the hypocrites; for they love to
stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners, in order to be seen
by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.”
It is my desire to finish this
section this morning. We need to perhaps
be reminded that all sin begins in the heart, as Warren Wiersbe said “The problem
with the heart is the heart of the problem.”
Inside the heart is pride and that is what these scribes and Pharisees
had, and they are not alone with this issue.
MacArthur adds “Like the Pharisee in Jesus’ parable, those hypocrites
ended up praying to themselves (see Luke 18:11) and before other people. God
had no part.”
MacArthur states something that I
have never heard of before: “Some overly
reactionary believers have used these warnings of Jesus as a reason to renounce
all public prayer. But the Lord taught
no such thing. He Himself often prayed
in the presence of His disciples (Luke 11:1) and in public, as when He blessed
food before feeding the multitudes (Matt. 14:19). Scripture records many public prayers that
were entirely appropriate and sincere.
At the dedication of the Temple, Solomon prayed an extended, detailed
prayer before all the priests, Levites, and leaders of Israel (2 Chron. 6:1-42;
cf. 5:2-7). When, under Ezra’s
leadership, the covenant was renewed after the Exile, a group of eight Levites
offered a heartfelt, moving prayer of repentance before all the people (Neh.
9:5-38). After Peter and John were
arrested, questioned, and then released by the Sanhedrin shortly after
Pentecost, the whole group of their companions rejoiced and ‘lifted their
voices to God with one accord’ (Acts. 4:24).”
Now just because this section does
not prohibit public prayer as some think, that does not mean that all public
prayer is not in some cases look or sound like the prayers of the scribes and
the Pharisees. Believers can have
similar problems with the heart and pride that comes out of the heart. I have mentioned that I have heard a very
long prayer at the orientation of a Pastor, but also mentioned that even though
it was very, very long it was a beautiful prayer.
Prayer is something that God wants
us to do, to talk to Him detailing all of the issues that are going on in our
hearts, to confess our sin and thus be in wonderful fellowship with Him. After all He is our heavenly Father and cares
for us more than we probably will ever realize, as He demonstrated that love
for us by sending His One and only Son to take our place on the cross, to die
in our place so that we can have eternal life.
Salvation is free, but it cost the Father His One and only Son, whom He
would raise from the dead demonstrating that His sacrifice was sufficient for
all who call on Him in repentance to receive salvation. Yes prayer is so very important, especially
that prayer that one prays to receive God’s forgiveness through Jesus Christ.
10/25/2020
10:04 AM
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