The Prayer That
Turns the World
Upside Down
By Dr. Albert Mohler
Do Not Pray Like the Hypocrites
The first thing Jesus tells us as we
prepare to pray is “you must not be
like the hypocrites” (Matt. 6:5). Jesus
condemned all forms of hypocrisy, but
here he is speaking of a specific, public
hypocrisy that seeks personal attention
for piety, as we have seen. Jesus
explains the interior motive of these
types of hypocrites: “They love to stand
and pray in the synagogues and at the
street corners, that they may be seen
by others. Truly, I say to you, they have
received their reward” (Matt. 6:5). our heart. After instructing his disciples
in what not to do, Jesus then tells them
what they are supposed to do: “But
when you pray, go into your room and
shut the door and pray to your Father
who is in secret. And your Father who
sees in secret will reward you” (v. 6). A
private prayer room can be a very useful
tool for personal devotion to God, yet
Jesus is not concerned primarily with
architecture here. He is noting the
importance of seclusion. The real issue
is not so much where you pray, but doing
so in a way that does not parade your
piety in front of others.
Jesus is referring here to the
ostentatious prayers of the Pharisees,
but we need to see the temptation that
exists here for us as well. You and I can
easily engage in hypocritical prayer that
is about God in its formal address but
far from him in terms of the posture of When we pray in isolation, no temptation
exists to pose and posture for any
observers. We pray to seek communion
with God. The result of praying like this
is a reward from the Father in heaven.
The Father who knows what is done in
secret will reward those who pray in
Solutions • 69