The Sermon on the Mount 13 - Matt 6:5-8

Jesus continues on his warnings against the hypocrites but moves his focus onto prayer. He says, “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.”  The IM gives background as to why the Savior talked about prayer in this manner, quoting Elder Bruce R. McConkie as teaching, “Devout Jews, at set times, faced Jerusalem, covered their heads, cast their eyes downward, and ostentatiously went through the ritual of prayer. If the house of prayer found them in the streets, so much the better, for all men would see their devoutness! To attract attention by saying one’s own prayers aloud in the synagogue was not uncommon. Such were amount the practices of the day.” Again, it goes back to intention, do we pray only when asked to do so at church, and do we use big flowery words and cover various topics in our prayers? Do we give prayers in public because they are necessary or because it is our opportunity to show everyone how spiritual we are? Do we pray at home? Do we spend as much time praying at home as we do praying in Church?

Honestly, I struggle with prayer for several reasons. First, I feel like I’m talking to God all day everyday, I think about spiritual stuff, ponder all the time, and I feel like I’m always in communication with Him, so when it comes to saying morning or evening prayers, I’m like “we already had this conversation,” which is not an appropriate attitude to have, so I need to work on that. I feel like I very much fall in to the next category of “vain repetitions,” about which the Savior says, “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” To be clear here, I think that Jesus is just using the heathens as an example, I don’t think that he’s condemning them, because up to this point, any heathens would not have had the opportunities to hear or accept the gospel because the Jews were so exclusive to genetic relations. I think he’s just pointing out that they are wrong, but not in the condemning manner that he is criticizing the Jewish hypocrites.

When I pray, I say a lot of the same stuff over and over again, “please help us be safe,” “please help us return home safely,” “we’re thankful for this day,” etc. And the kids have even pointed out several times that I basically just say the same stuff over and over again, and that I’m wrong for that. They’re right, I am saying the same stuff over and over again, but I always mean it. I always ask and give thanks for those things purposefully. The IM gives clarification by quoting Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin as teaching, “Our prayers become hollow when we say similar words in similar ways over ad over so often that the words become more of a recitation than a communication. This is what the Savior described as ‘vain repetitions.’ Do your prayers at times sound and feel the same? Have you ever said a prayer mechanically, the words pouring forth as though cut from a machine? Do you sometimes bore yourself as you pray? Will prayers that do not demand much of your thought merit much attention from our Heavenly Father? When you find yourself getting into a routine with your prayers, step back and think. Meditate for a while on the things for which you really are grateful. Look at them. They don’t have to be grand or glorious… Think of those things you truly need. Bring your goals and your hopes ad your dreams to the Lord and set them before Him. Heavenly Father wants us to approach Him and ask for His divine aid.”

This really helps me understand that if the words are the same, but the feelings as intense, then that might be repetition, but it’s probably not “vain” repetition. I really liked that he asked, “do you bore yourself with your prayers?” Sometimes I dread saying prayers, but I know I have to before going to bed. I heard it said once that praying is like sitting down with your parent who has been eagerly waiting for you to come talk to him all day and is anxiously interested in what you have to say. Just imagine how it must make him feel when we say 2 meaningless phrases then jump into bed and play on our phone for an hour. I added that last part in myself, because that’s pretty much what I do, and sometimes I think, “surely I could have spent more time praying or more time with my kids, if I have so much time for the phone at night.” We can talk about how our day was, we can talk about why we had a good day or a bad day, he wants to hear it all, he wants to hear us tell him how we feel, even if we are angry with him. That’s what I need to work on, just telling him everything. Wouldn’t I tell my best friend everything? If I want Jesus to be my best friend, then I need to treat him like it.

Jesus’ next statement is honestly why I have the hardest time praying. Jesus says, “For you Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.” I feel like,  if God knows what I need then why do I need to nag him into giving it to me. He’s either going to give it to me or he’s not, based on whether or not I’m ready, not whether or not I pester him into it. I heard this thing once that said, “how arrogant is it for us to approach God and say, you already know what I need, just give it to me.” The IM comments, “Some people might ask what purpose is served in asking for blessings if Heavenly Father already knows what we need. Through prayer we acknowledge our dependence on the Lord, exercise our faith in His ability to bestow desired blessings, ad acknowledge that ultimately all blessings come from Him. Approaching properly, prayer helps us evaluation our lives and align with the will of God.” It’s interesting that it doesn’t say, “convince God to give us what we want,” it says, prayer helps us “align with the will of God.” Prayer isn’t for us to tell him what we want, it’s for us to listen to the Holy Ghost to learn what God wants us to do.

The IM quotes Elder David E. Sorensen as teaching, “I believe that our Heavenly Father teaches us to pray because the very act of praying will improve us. We worship our Father in Heaven as all-knowing and all-powerful. Surely, as our Creator, He knows our cares, our worries, our joys, our struggles without our informing Him. The reason our Heavenly Father asks us to pray cannot be that we are able to tell Him something He does not already know. Rather, the reason He asks us to pray is that the process of learning to communicate effectively with Him will shape and change our lives.” There has been several times in my life where my support network has dwindled, and I felt very alone. This came to a head a couple of years ago, and I literally had no one to talk to, everyone had either turned on me, abandoned me, or gone off with their own lives and couldn’t be bothered. It was a very painful time, but I got to the point where the only person that I could talk to was Jesus, the only person, the only outlet. I turned to him I prayer, and just poured my heart out, and he listened, I felt peace and I felt the Spirit there teaching me and comforting me. That was a real experience for me, and one that changed my relationship with my Heavenly Father. Now, when I get to the point where I feel so overwhelmed or tired or discouraged, or even when I just have a thought, or think that the weather is nice or that I really enjoy someone’s company, I tell him about it too, and I know that He hears me because I feel that peace that I was heard, and I don’t feel so alone anymore.

The IM finishes with the Bible Dictionary definition of prayer, saying, “Prayer is the act by which the will of the Father and the will of the child are brought into correspondence with each other. The object or prayer is not to change the will of God but to secure for ourselves and for others blessings that God is already willing to grant but that are made conditional on our asking for them. Blessings require some wok or effort on our part before we can obtain them. Prayer is a form of work and is an appointed means for obtaining the highest of all blessings.” I’d also like to add that praying for blessings is also inviting the Spirit to teach you what is required to earn the opportunity for those blessings. For instance, if you are praying for a blessing, but have a personal habit that is holding you back in your life, praying for the blessing will let the Spirit know that you are ready to have a conversation about what it will take to make that blessing possible. That’s been a big lesson to me. And if you’re not willing to do what He’s asked, then you aren’t ready for that blessing then.