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Prayer is a difficult subject to address because most Christians believe it is very fundamental to the Christian life, but most people (including myself) don't practice it like they should. Jesus thought prayer was pretty important and so did the religious people of His day; however, their approach was very distinct. The scribes and Pharisees (Jesus called them hypocrites) prayed only to be seen by others...it was a way to make people think that you were really close to God (v.5). They also prayed using a lot of words thinking that they would be heard because of long, drawn out prayers (v.7). Jesus viewed prayer much differently. First, He says to pray in private (v.6). Praying in private has much more to do than just being alone, it is an attitude which evidences dependence on God for all a person's needs. In verse 7, Jesus criticizes the hypocrites for their thoughtless prayers, so another element of prayer is that it comes from the heart. Again, throughout Matthew 5 Jesus has been more concerned about a person's heart than about outward actions. Then Jesus demonstrates a sample prayer, not so it can be repeated word for word but so we can gather some important guidelines when we pray. Verse 9 models praise to God for who He is. Verse 10 challenges us to pray for God's will to be fulfilled. Verse 11 challenges us to pray for God's provision for the day at hand. Verse 12 commands us to seek forgiveness from God for our wrongdoings. Verse 13a tells us to pray for protection against giving into temptation. Verse 13b desires that we acknowledge that all power comes from God and all glory goes to God. Verses 14-15 is a reminder that God wants us to approach Him in prayer with a clean heart. He encourages us to search our heart and see if there is anyone whom we have not forgiven - if there is, we must first take care of that situation before God will forgive us. We must remember that Jesus is not giving us a formula to pray, but some instructions on what it means to pray. In context with the rest of His teachings in this passage, Jesus wants us to pray from our heart. It is so easy to fall into the habit of praying because it is what we are supposed to do instead of praying because it is what our heart desires. God does not want thoughtless, mindless words but He genuinely seeks those whose heart is seeking after His heart. When our heart is privately submitted to God in prayer, He will reward us openly (v.6). This means that God will bring into reality what our heart desires. Make a commitment today to spend time praying to God each day...not just a set aside time, but a constant awareness of God's presence with you. When something good happens, recognize it is from God. When something bad happens, realize you need the Lord's strength. When you need to make a choice, seek wisdom from God (James 1:5). When someone else needs God's help, pray that He will intervene.