How to Pray to the Glory of God

There are few indicators of the state of a person’s soul that compare to the discipline of prayer.

In Prayer we reveal so much of our theology, for how we approach God reveals what we think of Him and ourselves.

Many times prayer is reduced to either a rote string of words that we daily repeat in order to check off the list, or it is an overly simplistic list of praying for a few people with illnesses.

Or some people use it as an opportunity to portray some false sense of spirituality.

Is this really what communicating with the God of the Universe is supposed to be limited to?

Here in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus gives us a healthy dose of what true prayer looks like, and to best sum it up, He is teaching us to pray to the Glory of God.

Matt.6:5-15

V. 5

He begins by calling out the hypocrites who would stand in the synagogue each day, or maybe they would happen to find themselves on the busiest street corner during prayer time.

Obviously we don’t normally do these things, so what are some more practical examples of this playing out?

Preaching/ Bragging Prayers- Tax Collector and Pharisee

Abnormality often brings unnecessary attention, and portrays some false sense of spirituality.

The issue in these circumstances seems to be that our audience in prayer has been missed.

Instead of communing with our God, in our pride we have made those around us the audience of our prayer.

So how do we ensure our audience is correct?

V.6

If praying privately do so discretely.

Not hiding, but not making a show.

If praying publicly, not being so obsessed with eloquence.

Essentially when you are in prayer, either privately praying or publicly, block out the people around you and speak in truth and humility to your heavenly Father.

So with the question of audience answered, what are we to actually say?

V.7

Many people associate special powers with specific words and practices

Catholic and Orthodox

New Age blend of eastern religion

Name it claim it

Sinner’s prayer

The point Jesus is making is that there are no specific words or codes that you can say that can force God to move. We see this solidified in v.8.

V.8

Do not be like them, obsessed with eloquence and repetition, thinking you can pry something from the hands of God.

Why? Because God already knows everything you need.

This leads some to ask why do we even pray then?

God uses Prayer to conform us to His will. In prayer it is not God that changes but you and I.

God has chosen to use our prayers to fulfill His purposes and our needs.

Why? Because like any Father God loves to interact with His children, and in the gift of prayer we have our most direct time of fellowship with our God.

So now with a correct audience, God’s omniscience, and these purposes of prayer in our mind, how do we pray?

Jesus answers with what is called the Lord’s Prayer, which should be thought of as a framework to pray within.

In praying like this there is nothing left out.

V. 9

a. Our Father in Heaven

Jesus encourages you to remember who you are speaking to.

If we belong to Christ we have this intimate connection with God that should be in our minds as we go to Him.

While at the same time in heaven reminds us that we are still speaking to the God of the universe.

b. Hallowed be your Name

The first petition you make is that God would be glorified.

Before you worry about anything else your primary concern should be the glory of God.

How foreign this so often is from prayer and churches, but just like Jesus it should be the pinnacle and focus of not just our prayer but our lives.

V.10

a. Your Kingdom Come

The second petition to make is that the Kingdom of God would come.

This is praying for the advance of the Gospel.

It is also praying that Our Lord would return.

b. Your will be done

The ultimate act of submission, is praying that God’s will would be done in your life.

It is in this part of prayer that we may best model our Lord.

Jesus prayed for the will of God to be done in the garden

Matthew 26:39 LSB

And He went a little beyond them, and fell on His face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; yet not as I will, but as You will.”

How many of our lives are actually centered on God’s will being done in them?

Thus far we have been completely Godward in our prayer.

It is at this moment that Jesus shifts and focuses on the person.

V.11

What constitutes daily bread?

That which is necessary, not vanity.

Work, food, energy, health.

This is the beauty of our God, that while He is concerned for His glory, He also hears the needs of His people.

V. 12 & 14-15

This is a troublesome text for some, for we understand that our salvation is a permanent thing.

We are justified by grace through faith.

So why do we need to ask for continued forgiveness?

It is an acknowledgement of sin to an all knowing God.

Failing doesn’t revoke Fatherhood but confession and repentance restore fellowship and joy.

If we have experienced this forgiveness we will also be forgiving.

V. 13

Our final petition is a confession of weakness.

Our lives are consistently bombarded with evil and temptation, both outside and the body and within.

Only a fool would deny this, so when we pray we are to be confessing our weakness and asking God to protect us and deliver us from the things that try to separate us from Him.

So coming back to the opening statement. Prayer is an indication of spiritual health.

When we pray this way it does transform us.

A life not primarily focused on itself, but first prioritizing God’s glory and on what is essential to following Him.

This is how our Savior prayed, and it is how He instructed us both to pray and live, so the question is will you?