Talking With God

If you had the opportunity to spend the evening with someone you have long admired but never met, what would you want to talk about? What would you tell them? What would you want to ask them? Would you prepare for your time together or just see how the evening developed?

Interacting with others, especially with those who are in the public spotlight, can be somewhat daunting. It’s easy to walk away from an encounter with a celebrity wishing you’d said something different or remembered to ask a certain question - or even feeling foolish for something you said or did. But when we know someone well, interacting becomes less stressful and more natural, especially when we grow to know who they really are and not just who we think they are. Knowing about someone and having a relationship with someone are two completely different things!

Last week, we looked at some verses from the beginning of Matthew 6 where Jesus addressed the difference between religion and relationship. He warned His hearers to consider the heart behind their acts of devotion - namely, giving to the poor and fasting - encouraging them to remember that they have a heavenly Father who sees what they do, who will reward them for what they do “in secret.” As we read Matthew 6:5-15, Jesus continues to address the contrast between being religious and having a relationship with God:

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

"Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."

So let’s look at 2 things in this passage: Jesus gives some perspective on prayer, and then He gets practical about what prayer looks like for anyone who calls himself a follower of Jesus.

Perspectives on Prayer

Jesus again, like He does in the areas of giving to the poor and fasting, assumes that His listeners are praying. We are all created with a spiritual dimension - in fact, anthropologists have yet to find a culture that does not have some kind of religion. But He points out two kinds of wrong thinking in the area of prayer:

Do not pray like “hypocrites.” In the Greek, the word meant a stage actor, or one with two faces, hence our term “two-faced.” These religious leaders tried to appear to be men of God, praying loudly in public for others to see, but really, their focus was on themselves. Their intent was not spiritual, but selfish.

Do not pray like “pagans.” The word translated into “pagan” or “heathen” here referred to one who was alien to the worship of the true God, or a “non-covenant person,” one who stood outside of God’s covenant. Their prayers were not to be copied, because their understanding of God was incorrect - their long, repetitive prayers reflected hearts that simply hoped God would respond if they prayed long enough and hard enough to convince Him.

Woven into His warnings is Jesus’ unveiling of a new perspective: God as a heavenly Father who knows us and loves us. Our prayer life can reflect who He is, rather than be focused on us, our reputations and our fears.

Prayer in Practice

“The Lord’s Prayer,” as verses 9-13 is typically known, is often a prayer that church-going children memorize, no matter the denomination. And while the prayer itself is beautiful and worthwhile, it is essentially a model Jesus gives us for prayer, broken down into 5 sections or types:

Praise or adoration (v. 9)

This is simply recognizing who God is - His goodness, power, love, etc. He is holy, which means set apart - and we can and ought to remember who He is when we talk to Him

Submission (v. 10)

We can choose to yield to God’s will and ask Him to do what He wants in our lives and in the world around us

Supplication (v. 11)

We can ask God to meet our needs because He knows what they are and is willing and able to provide for us

Confession (v. 12)

This simply means “to tell or make known, to acknowledge a wrongdoing, “ and simply allows us to experience God’s forgiveness when we acknowledge our sin to Him

Acknowledging our need for His protection (v. 13)

We recognize our need for His protection from our tendency to go our own way and from the spiritual forces of evil

Discussion

Jesus wants us to approach God in prayer - regularly! 1 Thessalonians 5:17 says, “Pray without ceasing.” As we do, let’s consider the following discussion points from this section of Matthew 6:

1. How would you explain what prayer is to someone who is unfamiliar with the concept? When you pray, what does that look like?

2. Jesus keeps using the term “Father” to refer to God in this section as well as in many other verses in Matthew. Look up several of these verses to see what else Jesus tells us about our Father: Matthew 5:16, 48, and 48; Matthew 6:1, 4, 6, 8, 9, 14, 15, 18; Matthew 10:29; Matthew 12:50; and Matthew 18:14) List what you find out about God’s character.

3. Look at the 5 “types” or elements of prayer Jesus models in the Lord’s prayer and consider the other passages for each one:

Praise - Psalm 100, Ephesians 3:20-21

Submission - James 4:7, Hebrews 12:9

Supplication - Philippians 4:6-7

Confession 1 John 1:9, Psalm 51:4, 7

Acknowledging need - 1 Peter 5:8, Psalm 86:1-3

4. What role does forgiveness play in our prayer life? Ephesians 1:7-8a, Colossians 1:13-14 (relationship with Him possible because He forgave us in Christ….)

Our ability to forgive others is a reflection of our understanding of God’s forgiveness towards us col 3:13, james 5:16

Ephesians 3:12 - in HIm and through faith in Him, we may approach God with freedom and confidence

“Forgiveness does not mean simply overlooking or ignoring the other person’s failures. God’s forgiveness should be our model. God forgives us based on what Christ did for us on the cross.” Gary Chapman