Friday, March 16, 2018

Prayer in Matthew

I don't know that I will do a post for each book, but here's what the Bible says about prayer in the book of Matthew, and a few things that stood out to me as I read and studied.

Matthew 5:44-45
44 But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, 45 so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven. For he makes his sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.
- first mention of prayer in the New Testament
- loving your enemies and praying for them is part of being a child of God
- looking at the Trinity in prayer: God our Father is in heaven, and God the Son is seated next to Him, interceding for us. God the Holy Spirit is within us, and helps us to pray

Matthew 6:5-13
5 “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. 6 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.

7 “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. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. 9 Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.[a]
10 Your kingdom come,
your will be done,[b]
on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread,[c]
12 and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.[d]
- don't pray to be seen by others, but to your Father who knows and loves you; no need for pretense or big words
- pray daily
- pray for God's kingdom to come and His will be done, then for our needs

Matthew 7:7-11
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened. 9 Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? 11 If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
- ask the Lord for what you need
- be persistent

Matthew 9:37-39
37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; 38 therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”
- pray for God to send out workers into His harvest; i.e. untold people around the world
- pray earnestly

Matthew 14:23
23 And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone,
- this verse comes after the death of Jesus' cousin, John the Baptist, and after Jesus taught and fed 5,000+ people
- what emotions Jesus must have been feeling . . . and He took those to His Father in solitary prayer

Matthew 19:13
13 Then children were brought to him that he might lay his hands on them and pray.
- it is right for us to bring our children to Jesus

Matthew 21:22
22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
- with faith, we receive God's answers to our prayers; even when they are not the answers we think we need, we trust God will give us those good gifts He promised

Matthew 24:20
20 Pray that your flight may not be in winter or on a Sabbath.
- in this verse, Jesus is foretelling the fall of Jerusalem
- God cares for our physical needs; He was worried about the people who would be fleeing the city
- today, we can share this concern for refugees around the world, as they flee desperate situations

Matthew 26:36-46
36 Then Jesus went with them to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to his disciples, “Sit here, while I go over there and pray.” 37 And taking with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, he began to be sorrowful and troubled. 38 Then he said to them, “My soul is very sorrowful, even to death; remain here, and watch[a] with me.” 39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” 40 And he came to the disciples and found them sleeping. And he said to Peter, “So, could you not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray that you may not enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” 42 Again, for the second time, he went away and prayed, “My Father, if this cannot pass unless I drink it, your will be done.” 43 And again he came and found them sleeping, for their eyes were heavy. 44 So, leaving them again, he went away and prayed for the third time, saying the same words again. 45 Then he came to the disciples and said to them, “Sleep and take your rest later on.[b] See, the hour is at hand, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. 46 Rise, let us be going; see, my betrayer is at hand.”
- Jesus again experienced very human emotions
- He was willing to go through with the Father's plan, but He was still in agony about it
- He repeated His prayer three times
- He fell on His face before His Father
- He prayed and accepted that God's will would be done
- we should pray that we will not fall into temptation

There you have it . . . a very few of the things I learned as I read through Matthew with a focus on prayer. There is always something new to be seen in God's living and active Word!

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