The key difference between the empty prayer of the Pharisee and the new prayer instructed by the Lord is the spirit of humility and understanding as to what prayer is truly about. Prayer is about your relationship with your Father not a verbal affirmation of yourself.
How great is our God! Jeremiah says of him, “His ways are not our ways. His thoughts not our thoughts.” Yet, when He hears our prayers, He hears our requests simply. Although we may express them as big prayers and small prayers, He doesn’t. We saw in the last chapter that what we consider small (hatred and lust) are comparatively the same as what we consider big (murder and adultery). Just the same, the wants and needs of our hearts are comparably the same in God’s eye. God looks at your needs and desires as a way to shower down blessings on you. Open your hands wide when you pray, for when you pray, believing, you will receive. This is a promise.
Jesus tells His disciples, who were recently out of work, to think on this:
But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown in the oven, will He not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, “What shall we eat?” Or “What shall we drink?” Or “What shall we wear?” -Matthew 6:30-31
Food, drink, clothes what are those to you? Even the most practical of women have to admit that they are everything to us. Come on, without food we would be hungry, without drink we would be dead, and without clothes we would be celebrating our birthday one too many times. These three things are important to all mankind. They are a necessity.
That being said, because they are everything we need to live, they are everything to God. You are everything to God. He created the plants; He provides for them. He created you; how much more will He provide for you? Too many hours are wasted in panic and worry. Worry is a sin. It is a lack of trust in the Father. We do not know what tomorrow holds, God does. We are not promised tomorrow. Why waste today worrying over something completely out of your hands?
God created today. He created you. He knows what He is doing. Trust Him and take no thought.
Which matter of prayer needs to be brought to God and laid before Him with pure trust in His power to provide? Read Matthew 6:25-34 again and commit God’s commands and promises to heart.
**Excerpt from The Beautiful Reward; pages 57, 60-62
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