WWHIYP in Secret and to the Point

I don't know, but for many of us I don't think part of one of these scriptures will apply like they did back in Jesus' day, but let's look at them just in case.

⁵ “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. ⁷ And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
⁸ “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. Matthew 6:5-8 NKJV

When Jesus said this, He was talking to a culture that included people who liked to be seen doing their religious works. So they might pray out in public. Probably none of us do this. Jesus also spoke to those who liked to pray long, not necessarily meaningful, prayers. We might be accused of this one, at times. 

Jesus wants us to pray privately. Don't misunderstand though, there are times when you pray with others but it's all about the motivation and the attitude of our hearts. Are we praying to impress people or are we trying to talk to Father God? We have to realize that it doesn't matter what people think. It's God's opinion that is most important. So we can meet Him in private.  And then we don't have to tell people how much time we spent with Him, which would be a modern day equivalent to praying in public like the hypocrites. "Wow, I spent three hours on my face before God yesterday." Or, "I got up at three this morning to seek God and did not go back to sleep." What would be your motivation behind sharing that information with someone? Because you want them to think you are super spiritual or because you're excited about your time with God? Not that we'll really care after meeting Him in private, but people will know that we've been praying. How will they know? Because He promised that the Father would reward us in in the open – people will easily see that God is blessing our lives.

Now, as I said, we may be accused of the other part—vain repetitions. Our Father knows what we need already. We just need to get to the point when we ask Him. There are no magical phrases to repeat to make Him answer us. If you going to repeat something, repeat something meaningful . . . praises. You know how it is when someone commits an extraordinary act of kindness. You say "thank you." "No, really thank you." "Hey, have I told you thank you, lately? What you did was so wonderful. I can't believe you thought of me like that. I can't believe you did that for me. THANK YOU!" And as we say down south, "thank you so much."

That kind of repetition is not vain. It's from the heart. It's said with love.

So what would happen if you prayed in secret and to the point? Your Father Who sees you in secret and Who already knows what you need will respond.

Pray with me (in secret ;-)

Father, You already know what I need. You know better than I do, but You want me to ask. Thank You for this time of communicating with You. You're a good Dad. You love Your children more than we can comprehend. I'm glad to be Your child. You already know that I need to spend more time in prayer with You. Help me to not waste time on things that do not matter but instead to spend time with You. I know that You and I together can change the world! I love You and praise You that I can come to You in Jesus' name. Amen.