“Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
Matthew 6:6 MSG
Jesus modelled a life of simple, honest prayer, springing from his relationship with the Father. Sometimes he prayed publicly, sometimes in solitude. In Luke’s gospel, one of the disciples sees him at prayer and asks the question, “Master, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.” Jesus answers by teaching the prayer that has become known as the Lord’s Prayer.
When Matthew was arranging his memories of Jesus’ life, he puts this teaching on prayer into the record of Jesus’ teaching we call the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew chapters 5-7). You could say that this was a summary of all Jesus’ teaching about how to have a close relationship with God, a relationship that affected all other relationships.
When it comes to prayer (having a two-way conversation with God), Jesus focusses on the difference between simple prayer and showy prayer, between honesty and hypocrisy (hypocrisy’s Greek roots are about pretending to be what you’re not or play acting).
The Message version really brings out the contrast between the two types of prayer:
Simple prayer is about:
- Finding a quiet secluded space…not being on show
- Not role playing before God…being yourself
- Being with God honestly and simply…not trying to impress
- Switching focus from ‘you’ to God…what does God want to talk about?
Showy prayer is about:
- Turning prayer into a drama…impressive speeches and gestures
- Not being yourself…trying to impress God and whoever else is around
- Using formulas, programmes and advice…”pray this way and you’re guaranteed 100% success!”
- Using techniques to twist God’s arm to give you what you want…it’s all about me, me, me.
As I read this passage, and thought about it I quickly became aware that the longer I’ve been a follower of Jesus the more I’ve been tempted towards showy prayer. At the moment I’m trying to simplify the way I live my relationship with God, so this was a good thought!
It also raised a number of questions:
1. Is it wrong to pray out loud, in the gathered church meeting, at public occasions and so on?
My general reading of the gospels reminded me that Jesus often engaged in both kinds of prayer…public and private…so it seems to be less about location and more about attitude. Am I praying with honesty and humility because I want to find out what God wants in this situation?
2. For many years I’ve used a daily office, Celtic Daily Prayer (CDP), to guide my life of prayer. And what about Lectio 365 and all the other wonderful prayer resources from 24-7 Prayer, or using Spiritual Disciplines…do these count as formulas, techniques, programmes and advice?
This one really made me think. What counts as honesty and simplicity? There have been times when because of the way I was, the only way I could drag myself into God’s presence to pray was by using CDP, and I was often amazed at how God met me. I think there’s a difference between structure that builds helpful habits, or resources that help me pray more knowledgably and honestly, and self-serving techniques and formulas. It’s all about what motivates…is it about growing our relationship with God in a way that also blesses others, or is it about what I want with little regard for what God might want to do?
I also just want to put this out there…dare I say sometimes my prayer times become a bit stale (I’m still human!) and at times like this changing the structure of the way I do my regular, daily prayer really helps. Of course, I also pray at other times during my day…I love to share the good and bad bits my life with God, and the Holy Spirit (who hasn’t been mentioned before in this post) often opens my ears and eyes to notice things that God wants me to pray about and helps me with what to say too ( including “making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans” when we have no words…Romans 8:26-28 MSG).
I also love the wording of the model prayer Jesus taught in the Message version…so fresh! I’ll close with it:
Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what’s best—as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You’re in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You’re ablaze in beauty!
Yes. Yes. Yes.
Sometimes hearing from God can be painfully healing.
Pilgrim Traveller 