FATHER SEES: PRIVATE PRAYER
Matthew 6:5 And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. Truly I tell you, they already have their full reward.
SUSIE: As with giving, individual prayer should be a private matter between the one praying and God. We should not try to advertise our prayer; and even leading corporate prayer should be done humbly and with the focus on the Lord, not ourselves.
The prayer that focuses on self is always hypocritical, because, by definition the focus of every prayer should be on God . . . The hypocritical Scribes and Pharisees prayed for the same purpose they did everything else—to attract attention and bring honor to themselves . . . the public prayers of the typical scribe or Pharisee were ritualistic, mechanical, inordinately long, repetitious, and above all ostentatious.
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, John MacArthur.
SUSAN: The Scribes and Pharisees wanted at all costs to attract attention to how “godly” they were. They made a point to pray aloud in a place where more people would see their piety. If bullhorns had been invented, they would have used them.
Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your inner room, shut your door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. And your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
SUSIE: The inner room would be a secret room or hidden closet perhaps where valuables were stored. It would be the most private place in the home. The important contrast here is that the person praying would not be observed by other people, and therefore, would not be praying in order to make other people think more highly of them. Their prayer would be for God’s ears only and for His glory.
SUSAN: Their prayer lives would remain between them and their heavenly Father alone. I believe, possibly, that this is why Jesus went to a private place to pray in the dark of night when the disciples were sleeping, and the crowds were not pressing in upon Him. He sought refreshment from His Father. We are to imitate Christ. Therefore, He instructed His followers to find a private place to praise God for who He is and what He does and petition the Father for their needs.
SUSIE: Jesus was not banning public prayer by any means. In fact, He prayed publicly when He blessed the bread and fish to feed the 5,000, when He prayed at the tomb of Lazarus, and often in the presence of the Twelve. He was contrasting the prideful public prayers of the hypocrites with the sincere, private prayer of a person who truly worshiped God.
True prayer is always intimate. Even prayer in public, if the heart is right and concentrated on God, will in a real and profound way shut one up alone in the presence of God.
The MacArthur New Testament Commentary, John MacArthur.
SUSAN: The above statement reminds me of a television commercial. The child cannot find the mother, and the father points out that mom is in “York mode.” On the sofa is a mom-sized York Peppermint Patty™. The wrapper comes off and Mom is back. We should be so wrapped up in the Spirit of God during prayer that it matters not what is going on around us.