… your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
Summary: When we come before God, there is a right way and a wrong way to do it.
Just before Jesus tells us how to pray, he tells us how NOT to pray.
Now, the idea of telling us not to pray may seem a bit counterintuitive. That’s because it is. Years later, Jesus’ hand-picked emissary to the Gentiles would write, “And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests.” (Ephesians 6:18) Is there a contradiction here?
No.
There is no contradiction.
So what is going on?
There is a proper way to approach God’s throne. This “way” has to do with being aligned with God’s will. If we are crossways with God’s will, we put God in a quandary. How does he honor our requests if we do not honor him?
The world Jesus lived in as a human is not that much different that the world you and I live in. All around were hypocrites and pagans. The hypocrites were familiar with God’s Word, but not his Spirit. The pagans don’t know either one.
The first part of the Lord’s Prayer aligns us with God’s will to love him above all else and our neighbors as ourselves.
- We approach God as “we,” not “me.”
- We acknowledge that God’s very name deserves love and respect.
- We state our desire that his kingdom will be established on earth.
- We proclaim that God’s will is to be done here on earth.
These are not the words of a prideful man. These are the words of someone who understands their place in the universe. We understand that God is God and we are not.
Jesus says, “Do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others.” (Matthew 6: 5)
Then he says, “Do not keep on babbling like pagans” (Matthew 6:7). Pagans, not knowing God, attempt to manipulate the spiritual realm with words and offerings, much like the pagan priests in Elijah’s day. (1 Kings 18:16-40) Their prayers are not the humble words of a repentant sinner but instead sound more like the words of a stage magician conjuring up some trick from the spirit world.
There is a difference and God knows it when he sees it, just like he knows what we need before we ask.
Application: Check your attitude when you come before God in prayer. It makes a difference.
Food for Thought: If God knows what we need before we ask, why pray at all?
I might leave this one to fathers to answer.
Okay… I’m curious.
Why do you want to leave this one to fathers to answer?
Father and son relationship. Something that I am still trying to figure out and understand.
One thing to remember is that it takes two to Tango. 🙂
If God knows what we need before we ask, why pray at all? I think at a very basic level, prayer:
Is direct communication with God. God knows what we need, but we don’t know what we need. In prayer, we ask, we praise, we focus on God and tell God what is in our hearts. It strengthens our dependence and relationship on Him.
Romans 8:26 “Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words.”
Prayer fortifies our faith. We ask, we receive, we remember. We are able to see how aligning our will to God’s produces His blessings and actions on our behalf.
Matthew 21:22 And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.”
1 John 5:14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.
Prayer helps us to align our will with God’s Will, and to learn to recognize when we are aligning our will with God’s Will.
James 1:5 “But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him.”
2 John 1:6 “And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love.”
Chris,
Thank you! Lots of good stuff in your response! I particularly appreciate these words:
“God knows what we need, but we don’t know what we need.”
There is a BIG difference between needs and wants. Unfortunately, because of our spiritual blindness, we can be blind to the difference. When we confuse the two, we end up praying for things we want but don’t need. Sometimes we pray for things we want that are the opposite of what we need, they are harmful.
Trusting God’s judgment in these matters is essential. Waiting on God’s timing is critical. Being aligned with God’s will, as you point out, is the key to whether we struggle in life or “go with the flow.” (Meaning the ‘flow’ of God’s will, not any kind of worldly forces.)
I like Chris’s response.
I think one reason we go to Him in prayer is because of the relationship. Haddon Robinson once shared the story of a game he used to play with his children. He would come home and his small children would come running over and he would hold pennies in his hand. The children would sit in his lap and pry his fingers apart to get the pennies. Once a finger was prayed open it could not be closed again. Eventually they would get the pennies and run away in glee.
Just kids. Just a game.
Too often when we come to the Father we want what is in His hand. I need food on the table, money to pay bills, etc.
But more important than the pennies in the hand of God is the hand of God itself.
Well said Rich.
Thanks Rich!
There is great comfort in the hand (and arms) of God!
12-20-2022, If God knows what we need before we ask, why pray at all?
Everything our God does or asks of His children leads to building a relationship between He and each of us as individuals. This is what God has wanted since creation. He calls us to be holy through Christ so we will be Holy as He is Holy, and may walk with Him,
1 Peter 1:16, Leviticus 19:2, “Be holy because I, the Lord your God, am holy”
Prayer according to the Bible, in its simplest terms, is communicating with the Lord. It is how believers speak our needs, thoughts, confessions, praises to Him. Most importantly, how we develop our listening skills so we might more easily recognize His guiding words for us. In humility, we need to learn to easily recognize His voice as He speaks to our hearts. Let Him help and guide us in setting priorities for our lives and we will be with Him in all things now. He knows this is what we truly want.
The question we need to bury deep in our hearts as we approach God in prayer. What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?” Psalm 8:4-8
Thanks Ron,
“Relationship” is a key concept here. Well said.
I agree with all of the above.
To continue on one avenue of prayer:
I used to find myself praying in the car things like “God, I just need _”
It just came out without a thought. I would spend time working on understanding that what I just said was a want not a need. I’d talk to God about it and then try to start over and out came “God, I need _” again. I actually got really frustrated for a time because I knew my prayer was false but my heart or flesh was more outspoken and forefront than reality.
God knows; I even knew; but if I hadn’t been praying, I never would have had that struggle. I never would have known how out of alignment my heart was.
Angela,
Thank you! Interesting perspective. If we don’t give “voice” to our inner self, we cannot learn to see ourselves as we really are.
From what I have come to understand, it’s the relationship between a Father and His child. Sure He already knows what I need, want and all that other stuff about who I am, but I feel as if He wants to hear from me more than just from time to time, but everyday pouring out my heart to Him even if He already knows. Honesty is the best policy, my life is an open book to Him, I may write in a journal but He is the author of my life.
Another great one here Jeff, may God continue to use you here for people like me to grow in The Lord,..
John,
Thank you for the encouragement! If God can use this blog to stimulate growth in myself and others, it is well worth the time. I love the comments here and all the perspectives shared. I am learning a lot as we go forward together.