Day 42 “If what we see is what we get, bummer!”

Day 42

Matthew 6:5-6 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Prayer up until now had been something more of a ritual, as if only the elect or righteous were allowed to do so. As we will see over the next few days, Jesus is hitting the Jewish leaders rather hard without making it too obvious. You see, these men of prayer were quite accustomed to being looked up to and revered (if even in their own eyes) by the common man. Now, the time has come for all men to be called to prayer and then instructed as to how this prayer should be conducted and, as we will soon see, how. Jesus is not stating that the only way or time to pray is in your closet when you are alone. No, the real point is: “Don’t do it to be seen and rewarded by man, do it to be heard and rewarded by God!”

When I was in Israel standing near the Wailing Wall, I saw something that both disturbed me and illustrated rather well what Jesus was speaking of. Near where I was standing, there was a small bowl of water, and I noticed the men coming near the bowl and washing their hands before they went to the wall to pray. Coming closer, I noticed that it was actually more of a dipping than a washing, and the water was filthy. I assumed it was something ceremonial and continued to observe. One particular gentleman was being rather rude to the ladies in our group (nothing unusual in the Middle East), and he just had a general air of arrogance about him. I am not meaning to judge; however, being able to read body language rather well, I can tell you he was not a humble man. Smoking a cigarette and barging his way through, he put out the cigarette in the bowl and splashed his hands rather quickly; then promptly covered his head and made his way to pray at the wall. As I stood there watching these events unfold, my mind immediately went to this very passage, and I felt as if to some degree I understood what Jesus was speaking of.

You see, what I witnessed was a man that appeared to be praying out of obligation or duty. What Jesus is saying the Father wants from us is prayer from our hearts–to Him–not for the benefit of others to witness. No, prayer is something we do in order to be close to our God, to communicate with Him, to cause us to reflect and remember that it is He who is our source for all things.

Daily Prayer: Father, I ask that you teach me how to pray. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

“If what we see is what we get, bummer!”

Pastor Gene Burroughs, Servant