Better at Private Prayer

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Matthew 6:6-7 (NIV)

Prayer is not only understood as asking, but in ancient Greek, it is also understood to be like pleading or beseeching God. What does it mean to beseech? It’s like asking, but with a lot more emotion, as a passionate appeal. You’re not tossing prayers around in hopes of a response. No, you are praying toward God as a way of approaching or seeking Him. This isn’t like gambling, hoping things go your way. Your ask is urgent; your need to communicate with God ought to make you turn your face toward your Heavenly Father with fervency.

Prayer was also understood as a wish to speak your desire, almost like a vow. It’s that shaping of prayer that you would offer most when you have a deep wish or need. Prayer was also understood to be an expression to God in response to an emergency that had taken place in life. Many people today are trying to come up with such different forms of spiritual disciplines as if to create different and better methods of prayer. But we don’t need to attempt to create different prayers shaped on performance and language, public display, spiritual depth, or maturity.

Notice in the text, Jesus is not speaking in parables, trying to create interpretive bridges by painting images or telling stories that make it easier to understand and softer for absorption. In this text, He is straight to the point. Why? Because He wants you to have a strong private prayer life. He doesn’t want you to pray like pagans, who pray mindless, senseless, long, empty prayers for public performance. He helps His disciples so that they can get prayer right.

We could all do better at developing greater discipline around our private prayer lives. You can offer better prayers first by simply honoring the discipline.

God attaches the promise of a reward to our disciplining our lives to pray. He rewards your commitment to bring your urgencies to Him. He makes us increasingly aware of His abiding presence. He is extending Himself and letting you have the ability to make your request known, to express what you think He is worth to you, and what value you think the Lord has in your life.