Motivation and purpose in prayer

<Sigh.> Forgive my silence, dear readers. February's theme on praying the Lord's Prayer - and helping us all learn how to do that effectively - is proving an intimidating task. It's a little prayer with earth shattering consequences, as we'll see.

We open with the verses immediately before the Lord's Prayer, Matthew 6:5-6.
And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

I've spent much time considering and praying about this part of Scripture. It seems so self-explanatory that I hesitate to add my own meager thoughts. But one thing continues to plague me. This part of Scripture seems to hone in on motivation. The hypocrites' motivation is to be seen by men. These verses, in light of this month's theme, speak to me.

What is my purpose in prayer? What is my motivation?

Too often my purpose is to get my way. My motivation is worldly discomfort. The Bible says we should pray for the Father's will to be done (Mt. 6:10, 26:39). His way is higher than my own (Is. 55:9) and His will is perfect (2 Sam. 22:31, Rom. 12:2). And James, the brother of Jesus, tells us to count it all joy when we fall into various trials that test our faith (James 1:2). In the end, these trials and this testing perfects our faith, which is far longer-lasting than my worldly discomfort.

The Bible also tells us about the relational nature of God. Adam and Eve, Abraham, the prophets, all the way through Jesus Christ and His model of perfect love, we have examples of God being a friend and a constant companion to His people. How do you nurture your relationships with friends, family, spouses? Do you ignore them or make demands of them and expect that relationship to thrive?

The God of the universe is the God of relationship. That should be our motivation in prayer, friends. He desires a relationship with you, one that involves conversation and getting to know each other. As the Father, He also desires the best for you. That might mean giving you what you want, but it might mean withholding for a higher purpose. His will be done.

What is your purpose in prayer? What is your motivation? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with us.

Praying for you today,
Shelley