For thought and meditation

[rl69]

When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place… MATTHEW 6:6
The primary thought in the area of religion is— keep your eyes on God, not on people. Your motivation should not be the desire to be known as a praying person. Find an inner room in which to pray where no one even knows you are praying, shut the door, and talk to God in secret. Have no motivation other than to know your Father in heaven. It is impossible to carry on your life as a disciple without definite times of secret prayer.
“When you pray, do not use vain repetitions…” (Matthew 6:7). God does not hear us because we pray earnestly— He hears us solely on the basis of redemption. God is never impressed by our earnestness. Prayer is not simply getting things from God— that is only the most elementary kind of prayer. Prayer is coming into perfect fellowship and oneness with God. If the Son of God has been formed in us through regeneration (see Galatians 4:19), then He will continue to press on beyond our common sense and will change our attitude about the things for which we pray.
“Everyone who asks receives…” (Matthew 7:8). We pray religious nonsense without even involving our will, and then we say that God did not answer— but in reality we have never asked for anything. Jesus said, “…you will ask what you desire…” (John 15:7). Asking means that our will must be involved. Whenever Jesus talked about prayer, He spoke with wonderful childlike simplicity. Then we respond with our critical attitude, saying, “Yes, but even Jesus said that we must ask.” But remember that we have to ask things of God that are in keeping with the God whom Jesus Christ revealed

[USMC87]

Thank you for a great lesson, Amen.

[Blackwater]

When I was a kid, I knew all the folks at my little church, including who could be trusted and just how far. I also had a pretty good idea of whose flowery prayers may not have gotten beyond the ceiling, and whose humble prayers were heard loud and clear in Heaven. I developed a bit of a mental/emotional aversion to praying in public. It's taken me a long time to get over that, but I've always prayed with great humility and knew a request from an expectation. Everyone has "soft spots" in their faith. It's just our humanity and fallibility coming out in us. But we can all do better - every one of us. When we pray, simply ask the Lord for what we ardently desire, and maybe need, and then see if he grants it, or lets us work it out ourselves. That's all praying is, really. So simple, it looks like even us mortals could get it right, doesn't it?

Christ gave us the best and most penetrating advice and direction that we could ever want or need. We just seem to have a problem, and even an aversion at times, to using it. As John Wayne once said, "Life's tough. It's tougher if you're stupid." And unfortunately, ALL of us qualify on that last, than we like to think about. I guess that ought to keep us humble, but some of us seem to have some sort of "protective coating" that lets humility simply slide right off of us! But that's not most Christians, thank Heaven.