Sincere Prayer

Sincere Prayer (by David Peterson)

Continuing with His Sermon on the Mount discourse, Jesus states in Matthew 6:5-6; “And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.

Jesus is telling all of us how to best talk to Him. Through sincere prayer to our Lord where we praise Him, where we communicate our needs, and where we ask for His direction, Jesus informs us to do it privately, without fanfare, and without a need to be noticed by others.

Pastor Alistair Begg wrote this about prayer; “Prayer is an acknowledgment that our need of God’s help is not partial but total … Yet many of our church prayer meetings have dwindled in size and influence. Ultimately, the explanation can be traced to spiritual warfare. If, as the hymn writer says, ‘Satan trembles when he sees the weakest saint upon his knees,’ then we may be sure that he and his minions will be working hard to discredit the value of united prayer. The Evil One has scored a great victory in getting sincere believers to waver in their conviction that prayer is necessary and powerful.” Begg warns us that Satan works tirelessly to thwart our prayer life but we must remain vigilant and continue to pray.

Englishman William Watford wrote the hymn “Sweet Hour of Prayer” in 1842 in reflection of his losing his eyesight. Stanza 3 reads;

Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!

Thy wings shall my petition bear

To Him whose truth and faithfulness
Engage the waiting soul to bless.

And since He bids me seek His face,

Believe His Word, and trust His grace,

I'll cast on Him my every care,

And wait for Thee, sweet hour of prayer!

Watford relates to us the sweet joy and blessings of sharing prayers with Jesus.

Let us pray: Lord Jesus, teach us to reach out to you frequently and regularly in a humble, intimate fashion. Teach us to pray in secret, to spite Satan, and in our own sweet hour of prayer! Amen.