If you pray the way Jesus taught us, God will reward you.
In Matthew 6, Jesus talks about prayer within a bigger theme: a genuine spiritual life. First, He speaks about not doing righteous acts to be seen by others. Then He warns about praying like the hypocrites, who loved to stand in public places to be admired. After that, He says something very strong: go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen.
This doesn’t mean we can never pray in public. Jesus Himself prayed in front of others. The point goes deeper: God doesn’t want a performance. He doesn’t want beautiful words meant to impress. He wants truth.
Then Jesus says not to use empty repetitions, as if God would hear us because we talk a lot. Sometimes we think praying better means speaking more, crying more, shouting more, or using more “spiritual” words. But Jesus teaches that the Father already knows what we need before we ask Him.
So why do we pray?
We don’t pray to inform God, but to draw near to Him. We pray to surrender our hearts, to recognize our dependence on Him, and to align our will with His.
That’s why Jesus gave us the model of the Lord’s Prayer.
First: “Our Father in heaven.” Prayer begins with relationship. We’re not speaking to a distant force, but to a holy, close, and eternal Father.
Then: “Hallowed be your name.” Before asking, we worship. We recognize who God is.
Next: “Your kingdom come. Your will be done.” This is one of the hardest parts, because many times we pray wanting God to approve our plans, but Jesus teaches us to surrender our plans to God.
Then come our needs: “Give us today our daily bread.” God is not bothered when we ask for what we need. He knows we are human, that we carry burdens, bills, sickness, family, and worries.
Then Jesus brings us to forgiveness: “Forgive us… as we also forgive.” A sincere prayer cannot hold on to bitterness. God also wants to heal what we carry against others.
And finally: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Prayer is also recognizing that we cannot make it on our own. We need protection, direction, and spiritual strength.
This is true prayer.
It is not a performance.
It is not a magic formula.
It is not repeating words without heart.
It is not trying to manipulate God.
Praying as Jesus taught means coming to the Father with humility, trust, worship, dependence, forgiveness, and obedience.
Let me leave you with this thought: maybe the prayer that pleases God the most is not the longest one, but the most sincere. The one that is born in secret, where no one applauds, where no one sees, but where the Father listens.
I invite you to join me in this prayer:
Our Father in heaven, teach us to pray with a sincere heart, surrendered to Your will. Forgive us, guide us, and deliver us from evil. I ask all this in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Somos Cristianos, connecting hearts with Christ.
