"And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
Today, of the very few demands Jesus placed on His people, the lesson He presented herein is probably the most blatantly ignored and violated.
The ancient Jewish Priests were noted for their hypocritical, and very public, prayer and wailing. Jesus, in today's lesson, demanded that His disciples rise above that hypocrisy by offering their prayers humbly and in a private place. He even gave us, "The Lord's prayer" as a guiding example of how we are to pray.
Somehow, probably because of the heavy influence of Jewish tradition at the beginning of the Church, today's congregations still practice public "leading" of prayer in direct contrast to what Jesus demanded.
This lesson also teaches against "vain repetitions". If one is a child of God, and that one has faith that God will answer prayers as He promised, that one should pray for what he/she wants only once, then forget about it. God ALWAYS hears the prayers of His children, and He will NEVER forget. If the request is within God's divine will, it will be granted.
Another very important part of today's lesson is that, when we pray, we should always forgive those who have offended us. Romans 12:20 says, "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head."
There is no greater expression of love than humbly praying for someone, especially if that person can be considered an enemy. We should never close the day with anger in our hearts toward anyone.
Another very important part of today's lesson is that, when we pray, we should always forgive those who have offended us. Romans 12:20 says, "Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head."
There is no greater expression of love than humbly praying for someone, especially if that person can be considered an enemy. We should never close the day with anger in our hearts toward anyone.
Prayer is the most important tool a child of God possesses. We should offer prayers often but always correctly in the manner demonstrated in this lesson. ~
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