The rewards of prayer

The rewards of prayer

Scripture:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:5-8

Observation:

Continuing along the sermon of the Mount, our Lord now focuses on the all important issue of prayer, our communication with God. He first tells us how not to pray, which is not to follow the hypocrites who purposely try to stand out to be seen in prayer. Prayer is mainly about us and God personally. There is no point in praying so to be seen by others. There is great value in praying in private, communicating with our Father in Heaven one to one.

Another important point we must take note of is that our Father in Heaven rewards us when we pray in secret. What is the nature of this reward? In itself, that precious communication with God is already great reward in itself. The peace and knowledge of knowing we have such a great Heavenly Father who hears us, who cares for us, who looks out for us is already so wonderful in itself. As we grow in prayer, there are many other great rewards that the Lord unfolds, including breakthrough, deeper intimacy, miracles, answers to prayer, divine guidance and leading.

Furthermore, we are told not to babble like pagans and think that many words cause us to be heard by God. Instead, when we approach God, we should already know that He knows everything, what we need, what we have gone through, even what will happen to us in time to come. In coming to God, we are to come instead humbly and honestly, bringing to Him the deepest concerns of our heart, and our innermost longings. It is in coming to communicate with our Father in the most intimate way, that we can truly begin to realize the marvelous value of prayer.

Application:

Seek to set aside a time to pray to God one to one, behind closed doors. In prayer, seek to pray most honestly, from deep within our heart. Believe that we have a God who rewards those who pray to Him. Leave the nature of the rewards to Him who knows what we need better than we do ourselves.

Prayer:

Praise You, Father in Heaven, for Your great love for us. We praise You Lord that You desire to commune with us, though we are small. Give us a new heart that truly seeks Your face O Lord, that we may learn to really pray. Teach us, Father, to be honest before You, to seek You in reverence and delight. Grant us Your divine rewards, dear Father, even as we pray to You. Draw us in the most intimate way. Help us Lord, truly grow in prayer. Bless Your holy name, Lord Jesus. In Jesus name, Amen.