Public Prayer?

Bow your heads and close your eyes while I say a prayer before we start. How many times have you heard this statement made before the congregation or even small groups? Why do we continue to do something that Jesus spoke out against?

Matthew 6:5-6

5 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.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

This could not be any clearer of a command from Christ. Pray in secret and the Father will reward you openly. The reason given here is because people love to be seen as righteous, but they are hypocrites who hide behind the actions they perceive to be holy. Prayer becomes a tool of self righteousness, rather than a way to humble yourself before the Father and ask for help. This insight into humanity that Jesus gives us here is something that we all struggle with, which is why the answer he gives, to this temptation, is to not pray publicly and to pray privately.

What is prayer though? Most people, when I ask this question, will say something along the lines of, prayer is anytime that you are speaking to God. This is a definition of prayer that really makes no sense Biblically. It is not called prayer every time we have someone in the Bible speaking to God. For example, it isn’t called prayer when Moses spoke to God at the burning bush or even in mount Sinai. It isn’t called prayer most of the time when the prophets are speaking to God either.

1 Timothy 2:1-2

1 I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;

2 For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.

Prayer is labeled separately from supplication, intercessions, and giving of thanks. This means that all of these things are not the same though you might do them together. I pray thee, is a statement made all throughout the Bible and it means that you are asking someone for something. This is the same meaning of prayer, we are asking God for something. It is that simple.

In conclusion, when you pray, you are requesting an action from God. Jesus tells us, because of the temptation of wanting to be seen as righteous, hypocritically humbling ourselves before the masses to appeal to God, we should not pray publicly. The solution given to us by Christ himself is to pray in secret and he, as our example, always left the group to engage in prayer privately. So, again I ask, why do we continue to do something that Jesus spoke out against?