Prayer is one the greatest gifts in the Christian life. It this blessed privilege to come directly to and communicate with the eternal God in heaven. Yet as great as this privilege is, I know so many Christians (including me) who still struggle with prayer.
It can feel like our words aren't getting anywhere. Maybe for you it's awkward talking to someone you can't see. Maybe you have prayed and nothing happened, so you feel like what's the point.
Whatever you're struggle with prayer may look like, there's a truth that Jesus taught in the Sermon on the Mount that is a crucial foundation to all Christian prayer. This truth could change the way we pray, and it could actually make prayer something we enjoy. More than anything else, we have to understand that:
Prayer is not about getting something from God; it's about getting God.
Prayer is not about getting something from God; it's about getting God.
Here's three things from this passage that help us understand why getting God and not just stuff from God is everything in prayer.
1. God doesn't want something from us, He wants something for us.
So often we think about prayer as something we are supposed to do, something we have to do. It feels like God expects something from us that we can never really deliver. If that is or has been your experience, you know what a burden that is.
But the reality is that prayer is something that we are graciously invited into. It's not just something we have to do; it's something we get to do! This invitation reveals the heart of our Father, that He doesn't just want something from us; He wants something for us.
When you live give something to God, when you live like you have something to offer, you end up like the hypocrites Jesus talked about. They are on the street corners showing everyone how holy they are and how much they have to offer to God. Jesus says that their prayer is totally empty, because they missed the point of prayer all together. They have their reward, and it's empty.
But what God wants for you is Himself. Psalm 16:11 says, "In Your presence there is fullness of joy." God wants you to want Him more than anything. The reason is because there is no greater joy, happiness, peace, and satisfaction that setting your heart totally on Him.
When you pray, remember that God wants something for you and not just from you and let that change the way you pray.
2. Let who you are praying to motivate you to pray.
But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private.
There is an intentional pursuit that Jesus points out here. When you pray, it's not just some religious ritual act. It your opportunity to be in the literal presence of God Almighty speaking and knowing that He is with you listening. If we really understand who we are talking to, the greatness of this being, the majesty of this King, and the privilege of actually being welcomed by Him, our prayer life ought to be thriving.
Just take a moment to try to fathom that Jesus is saying, "Don't settle for a full auditorium of people's attention when you can have the holy, private gaze of your Heavenly Father."
When you pray, don't forget the privilege of prayer and the majesty of who you are talking to, and let that change the way you pray.
3. Treasure God above everything else, and your reward will be greater than you can imagine.
As you read this passage and the verses around it about prayer, you won't see Jesus mention anything about getting what you want or what you asked for. Too often prayer becomes a way to serve our idols rather than a way to know God and love and seek God.
It's a scary thought. When we treasure things above Christ and His kingdom, it cripples our prayer life. We end up using prayer as a way to get things from God. And what happens when we don't get those things? We get mad at God. We get discouraged with prayer. We feel like God doesn't love us. How twisted our hearts can be!
But Jesus came to bring truth into these lies and to rescue us from the deceitfulness of sin. Even in prayer that is His passion.
But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
So what is this reward that Jesus is talking about? When we treasure God above everything else, we don't look at prayer as a tool for ourselves to make our lives better. When we treasure our Father, prayer becomes about Him, about what He wants for us and this world, about what He desires, about who He is. When God becomes our treasure in prayer, He will reward us with Himself. When God is what you want more than anything, the promise is that He will be yours.
