Prayer

We are continuing tonight in the series we began last week called “The Centered Life.” We are walking through this series because we are stepping into a new year—a season where people set new goals, form new habits, and decide what kind of life they want to live. And the reality is that every one of us is going to build habits around something. So the question is not if we will center our lives around something, but what that something will be. And what better habits could we form than ones that intentionally center our lives around Jesus Christ? So tonight, we are asking an important question: What are the things we can do that help us keep Jesus at the center of our lives?

One of the clearest and most essential answers to that question is prayer. Prayer is not optional for the Christian—it is essential. Prayer is how we communicate with God. It is how we bring Him our emotions, our fears, our struggles, and our desires. Prayer can be audible or silent, private or public, formal or informal—but it must always be done in faith (James 1:6) and in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ (John 16:23). Prayer is not desired by the wicked (Psalm 10:4), but it is desired by the children of God (Luke 11:1). Scripture describes prayer as seeking God’s favor (Exodus 32:11), pouring out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15), crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles 32:20), drawing near to God (Psalm 73:28, KJV), and kneeling before the Father (Ephesians 3:14).

Mike Goheen explains prayer this way: “Prayer is asking God for His resources to accomplish His mission.”

In the 19th century, there was a man named George Müller. He was an evangelist and an orphanage director. When Müller began his orphanages in Bristol, England, he made a radical and intentional commitment—he decided the orphanages would rely solely on prayer. That meant when food was needed, when clothes were needed, when shelter was needed, or even when staff salaries were due, Müller did not start fundraisers or send letters asking for donations. Instead, he went to prayer and petitioned the God who created all things.

Why would he do that?

Because Müller believed that God alone would provide everything in response to prayer. His goal was not fame or recognition. His goal was to demonstrate God’s faithfulness to a skeptical world and to encourage other believers to trust fully in God’s provision.

So what did God do?

There are countless documented accounts of food, money, and resources arriving at exactly the moment they were needed—often in miraculous and unexplainable ways. On one occasion, the children were seated at the table for breakfast, but there was no food in the house. Müller prayed and thanked God for the meal anyway. Shortly after, a baker knocked on the door with enough bread for everyone, explaining he had been woken up early with a strong sense that he needed to bake bread for the orphans. At the same time, a milkman’s cart broke down right outside the orphanage, and he donated all of his milk so it wouldn’t go to waste.

So what happened to Müller and the orphanages?

Müller cared for more than 10,000 orphans throughout his lifetime and established 117 schools, all sustained entirely through prayer. He never ran out of what was necessary, even though there were no visible means of support.

Were his prayers answered?

Yes—consistently and powerfully. His prayers validated his faith and inspired believers across the world. His autobiography, Answers to Prayer, records more than 5,000 specific answers to prayer, many of them answered on the very same day they were prayed.

Can you imagine having that kind of faith in prayer? The kind of faith that actually believes Jesus when He says in John 16:23, “If you ask anything of the Father in my name, He will give it to you.” Not prayers so you can make the team, pass a test you never studied for, or avoid consequences you know you deserve—but prayers that align with the heart of God. How often do we pray for God’s Kingdom to be glorified, for Him to use us in our everyday lives, for His goodness, His joy, and His presence?

I understand how difficult prayer can be—especially public prayer—but difficulty is not an excuse for disobedience. In the passage we are about to read, Jesus does not say “if you pray.” He says “when you pray.” Prayer is not about how impressive your words are or how holy you sound—it is about obedience to Christ. There are only ever a few people who are willing to pray out loud if asked, and even fewer who volunteer. I genuinely admire and respect those who do. But every single one of us can grow in our prayer life and in our understanding of prayer.

So let’s turn to Matthew 6:5–14, where Jesus teaches His disciples how to pray.

This prayer was revolutionary for those who first heard it because Jesus refers to God as Father—something no Jew would have dared to do. Jesus wanted His disciples to know that they had direct access to the Father. When you pray, you pray directly to your heavenly Father. You do not need to go through anyone else—except Jesus—to have access to God.

And it gets even better. God doesn’t just hear you—He cares for you like a Father. Knowing that God hears you with the heart of a loving Father changes everything about prayer.

If we are going to live differently in this world, prayer must play a major role. Let’s begin with verses 5 and 6.

Sincerity in Seclusion

Matthew 6:5–6 ESV

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For 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. 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.

Every time I read verse 6, I am reminded that prayer is meant to be genuine, intentional, and sincere. This verse introduces our first point tonight: Sincerity in Seclusion. Jesus gives two contrasting examples. One is the Pharisee who prays loudly in public places, using impressive and religious words to appear more righteous than others. Jesus calls this hypocrisy. The other example is what Jesus calls us to do—to go into your room, shut the door, and meet with the Father in sincerity and seclusion.

Jesus is not saying that public prayer is wrong. He is addressing the heart behind the prayer. If prayer is done for attention, approval, or self-righteousness, then it is not prayer—it is performance. Jesus was calling out the religious leaders because this was exactly what they were doing. Our faith is not meant to be a show. That does not mean we hide our faith—but it does mean we refuse to fake it.

Heartfelt, Not Hollow

Matthew 6:7–8 ESV

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Prayer is not a show for others—and it is not a show for God. Jesus says not to heap up empty phrases or many words as if that will somehow manipulate God. He is not saying prayers must be short. He is saying there is no formula that forces God’s hand. God already knows what we need before we ask. Prayer is not about convincing God—it is about seeking Him. We shift our focus from form to heart and bring our genuine desires before Him.

Prayer is less about the request and more about the relationship.

Patterned for Praise

Matthew 6:9–13 ESV

Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

Jesus gives us a pattern for prayer. It begins with praise—placing God in His rightful position. He is our Father, but He is still holy and worthy of all honor and glory. Then we pray for His Kingdom to come and His will to be done—starting in us and flowing outward into our schools, homes, and communities. We ask for daily provision, forgiveness, strength, and deliverance. This prayer shapes our hearts before it shapes our circumstances.

Forgiveness Fosters Freedom

Matthew 6:14 ESV

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you,

Forgiveness reminds us that prayer is not just about receiving—it is about becoming. God forgives us so we can forgive others. Forgiveness does not always mean reconciliation, but it does mean releasing the debt. God is the judge—not us.

Prayer is deep communion with God. It is where burdens are laid down, sin is confessed, and hearts are transformed. It is where we stop pretending and start surrendering.

There are moments when prayer is not polished—it is desperate. Moments when we are exhausted, broken, and ready to quit. And it is often in those moments that God meets us most powerfully.

It is a time where you can lay it all out. Your worries, struggles. The sin in your life that is keeping you trapped, your own heart that is keeping you from giving God everything and making him Lord of your life. We all have times where we are alone in our rooms and maybe even alone in our hearts and we are brought to a place like David in Psalm 22 where he cries out “My God my God why have you forsaken me”. We may at times feel broken, defeated, and destroyed and we stay there in our sorrow. Why do we not turn to prayer when He already knows what we need before we ask.

A few years ago I was at a point in my life where I was struggling. I was depressed, tired, broken, and ready to give up. I had a job where they made us work 7 12’s. Now for those of you who don’t know what that means, I was working 7 days a week and 12 hours a day. One day, after working that schedule for weeks, I turned my alarm off at 5:30 a.m. and sat on the edge of my bed. As I stood up I felt a tear roll down my face, and I as I began to stand up and get dressed. I stood up and it felt as if someone was tightening a knot in my stomach over and over again while something else was squeezing my chest tighter and tighter like it was caving in. After I got to work and do everything I need to do to be able to start my day I almost exploded. I just couldn’t handle it anymore. I began to pray

“Lord I come to you this morning with a heavy heart and ask one thing, to take this day. I can not make it through this day without you with me. I ask for your presence and to be by my side and help me get through this day, because I know your gentle hands can hold this weight that is weighing me down. My caring, loving Father, Amen.”

Right after I said “Amen”, my boss came in and told us all to go home for the day. So here I am, leaving work on Sunday at 7:45 in the morning where I am rushing home to get ready for church rejoicing that I get to be apart of my church family for the first time in weeks.

Prayer is not weakness. Prayer is surrender. Prayer is powerful.

And prayer is how a centered life begins.