"5And 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.
6But 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.
7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." Matthew 6: 5-8
6But 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.
7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him." Matthew 6: 5-8
When you pray, not if you pray!
Prayer is a necessary given for the believer. While public and family prayer has a part in our christian life and practice it is our humble attitude as we come before the Lord, and especially in secret prayer, where we express our faith, trust and gratitude to him.
It is challenging to ponder that we should pray without ceasing. Always in an attitude of dependence and supplication. So often our lives are busy and cluttered with the busy-ness of day to day living, but as we work we can take all our praise, thanksgiving and our needs and longings to Him. For he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him.
John Calvin on Prayer: "Believers do not pray, with the view of informing God about things unknown to Him, or of exciting Him to do His duty, or of urging Him as though He were reluctant. On the contrary, they pray, in order that they may arouse themselves to seek Him, that they may exercise their faith in meditating on His promises, that they may relieve themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into His bosom, in a word, that they may declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and the others, all good things"
Love your John Calvin quote on prayer. John Calvin on Prayer: "that they may relieve themselves from their anxieties by pouring them into His bosom, in a word, that they may declare that from Him alone they hope and expect, both for themselves and the others, all good things." What a wonderful summary on prayer!
ReplyDeleteThere was an article in the paper last month that one can tweet a prayer through Twitter and someone will print it out and take it to the Jerusalem wall. I am glad I can pour my heart out to our Lord.
I like that John Calvin quote too.
ReplyDeleteDuring the crazy busy years of having four babies aged 4 and under I found myself praying constantly .... at the sink, in the laundry, at the change table, in the car, even in the bathroom .... otherwise I would never have found time to pray, and I doubt if I would have got through that time with my sanity intact.
Well, some would say that's debatable that I am stil sane ;)
Prayer has always boggled my mind. I just don't get it; I mean WHY? He knows everything. And I know it's for us, but at the same time . . . WHY? You know??
ReplyDeleteI like that quote too. Thanks for posting it.
I was going to say I love the Calvin quote, but it appears that I'm passé!!
ReplyDeleteStill, it is that 'debriefing' aspect of prayer that he speaks of that makes prayer so incredibly precious for me many a day.
I love having a God whom I can speak to directly - and one who answers!!
Ruby, thanks for your encouraging comments (again!) on my blog. You are such a dear. Thanks for these thoughts on prayer! Great reminders. I love to pray.
ReplyDeleteGod is the only one who "gets me" totally..hugs.