January 17

Matthew 6:5-15 (Click to see scripture)

Bible in One Year Passages:

Journal Entry

Scripture

And when you pray. . . (v. 5), pray then like this:… (v. 9)

Observation

Just like other disciplines taught by Jesus himself in this setting (Matt. 5-8), praying is a discipline that is to be practiced by people of God all the time. However, it is also evident from the passage that not all praying is acceptable and pleasing to the Father. There is praying of the hypocrites that is performed to entertain people instead of presented to the Father. What would be typical characteristics of these prayers? They are usually done in public to be recognized by people for advancements of the ones who are performing in the name of God (v. 5). What advancements? Obtaining a prominent position in religions circle, soliciting praises from the lips of listeners, and/or receiving instant awards here and now. In other words, the main purpose of their praying is to be noticed and admired by people whereas God sees the hearts of these praying people.

Only when our hearts are in line with that of the Father, we will then be able to pray the way Jesus teaches us in vv. 9-13. As a result, our prayers would advance God’s kingdom and bring healing and hope to the fallen world.

Application

Whenever I think of my personal prayer life, one of more challenging elements has been length and frequency of it. That is, how often and how long I pray. And this does bother me quite a bit for I always feel I can and should do better. However, I sense that the enemy can and will manipulate my frustration to further discourage my prayer life.

Well, how can I overcome this particular challenge and be more faithful in offering up prayers to the Father? One sure solution I get from the passage is to put Jesus’ teaching on prayer into practice. That is, I need to go beyond my immediate needs and give priority to the ones that advance the kingdom of God. I believe this practice will help me to have yearning for God's things, which, in turn, cause me to pray more faithfully and frequently.

Prayer

Father, I lift up a prayer for the people of Haiti today. It continues to be heart breaking to hear, see and read about all the devastating reports in that small and poor country.

Father, I don’t understand why it had to happen there. It is very hard for me to picture how this country, which seems to be completely lost, would be able to bring restorations in the near future. Things are really bleak and seem to be completely helpless.

Father, I pray, first of all, to move the hearts of your people at YNCC. Yes, it is a daunting thing even to think about what we, a small Christian community in southern California, can do. But I pray that the Spirit of God work mightily in our hearts that we would gladly participate in anyway we can to share your love in Jesus.

Father, may we as your people do our best to provide daily bread people of Haiti need so desperately! May we as your people express your love in tangible ways to bring honor to your name and hope to this people! May your compassion and mercy be visibly communicated through your people in that land! Amen.

--p. han song