“But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.”- {Matt 6:6.} 

 

CONFIDENCE AS YOU PRAY;

The passage presupposes you pray. It contrasts the hypocritical prayers, and it assures you, YOUR praying is HEARD.. and Your Father SEES YOU PRAY and REWARDS. Prayer is an eternal thing. A Loving relationship, based on trust. His trustworthiness! Prayer is our dependence upon our Father. Note, He is not called your Judge, but your FATHER and He rewards prayer according to His will. PRAYER, your prayers are an opportunity to KNOW Him as He provides HIS answer to you. Pray with confidence, knowing HE SEES YOU… HE REWARDS… what you pray in SECRET is not SECRET TO HIM who sees. The RESURRECTED LORD whom ALL Authority in Heaven and Earth has been given to is the One who encourages you to PRAY…ON…You are SEEN By the Father and He Rewards.

TEMPTATION WHEN YOU PRAY;
Conflict! 

Conflict in prayer is not unknown or somehow uncommon or unique to just a few followers of Christ. We all experience it in various ways and one way it manifests itself is through… the temptation is to doubt Him.  To doubt He hears, doubt He cares about you. Doubt comes to your mind in the form of questioning, and accusations, such as “What’s the point in YOU praying…God doesn’t hear you…why should He answer you… it’s a fruitless exercise,…it’s stupid!”

All these are to attack your faith in Him, ultimately, as in the Garden to say, God is not good, He cannot be trusted, He does not mean what He says, and you need to take things into your own hands. It is an attack on your mind to attack your faith in HIM, and ultimately to slander His good Name and character, to tempt you to take His Name in vain, defame Him. Note, all these thoughts, demonic thoughts end with the focus on “you” and not the Lord Jesus, or His Work, His Advocacy with God and before God on your behalf, as Romans 5:1-2 teaches,

  • “Therefore, since we have been made right in God’s sight by faith, we have peace with God because of what Jesus Christ our Lord has done for us. Because of our faith, Christ has brought us into this place of undeserved privilege where we now stand, and we confidently and joyfully look forward to sharing God’s glory.”

And also the wonderful, merciful work of our loving LORD Jesus on our behalf

  • “My dear children, I am writing this to you so that you will not sin. But if anyone does sin, we have an advocate who pleads our case before the Father. He is Jesus Christ, the one who is truly righteous. He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.”-{1 John 2:1-2 nlt}

Look to the LORD Jesus Christ not to self for your acceptance, access and standing in right relationship and Divine favor with God, permanently!

BEWARE and NOTE that thoughts that end with you as the means to acceptance, “worthiness” as to why God should hear, accept and answer your prayers, are not from the Holy Spirit when it comes to acceptance with God! Our only acceptance is with God through our Lord Jesus, -{Read Eph 1:6; Romans 5:1-2.}

Take comfort, when such attacks come, you know you are on the right path! Prayer at times is not easy! It is often a battle of faith! A Battle for your mind. A Battle between what you “feel, think,” versus what He has revealed of Himself in His Word! Focus on Him, Truth, His promises and not on what you “feel,” which these attacks try to tempt you to believe and in embracing lies means to reject Him and His Word and brings about instability, double-mindedness, and unstable in all our ways!

Comfort yourself, talk to yourself, remind yourself of HIS PROMISE to you in this verse in Matthew 6:6, and remember…

YOU NEVER PRAY ALONE OR UNNOTICED!