Prayer Is Talking to Daddy

“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. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your heavenly Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Matthew 6:5-8

In the Sermon on the Mount Jesus taught his disciples, “Unless your righteousness exceeds that of the Pharisees and the scribes of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of God.” But he also warned them, “Be careful not to do your acts of righteousness before men to be be seen by them.” The Pharisees gave to charity, but they did so in order to be seen and praised by men. They also fasted, sometimes twice a week, to be seen and praised by men. They also prayed in the synagogues, on the street corners, and in the temple. Why? Again, to be seen and praised by men.

Jesus does not want his disciples to be like the hypocritical Pharisees. We are to give to the poor, exercise self-discipline by fasting, and pray, but not in a way to receive the praise and attention of men. We are to do these things before God our heavenly Father, and when we do so, seeking his approval, they are considered acts of righteousness.

What is the highest act of righteousness? Prayer. It is the most sublime human activity of piety. It is also the greatest privilege of a child of God. And what is true prayer? It is talking and listening to God, our heavenly Father, our Daddy in heaven.

The Prayer of Jesus

We are told many times in the gospel accounts that Jesus prayed. Jesus thrived in the activity of prayer. In fact, he maintained unbroken communion with God his Father the entire time he was on earth except when he cried out from the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?” That was the only recorded prayer of Jesus in which he did not use the word familiar term, “Abba, Daddy” for his heavenly Father. Why? He had become sin for us.

Jesus prayed regularly. In Mark 1:35 we read, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went off to a solitary place where he prayed.” That was the daily habit of Jesus Christ. To him prayer was not drudgery or mere duty. No, it was delightful communion. It was talking and listening to his daddy in heaven. Such prayer was invigorating and refreshing to Jesus, and sometimes he prayed all night instead of sleeping.

Jesus’ disciples were fascinated by his prayers. When he had finished praying once, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples,” and he did so.

Jesus taught the disciples that, as God’s dear children, they could talk to their father in heaven. He gave them the privilege of addressing the transcendent, awesome God as “Abba.” What does that mean? When children were weaned in Israel, they called their fathers “Abba” and mothers “Imma.” So “Abba” means Daddy. It is the term a child would use in the family to refer to his or her father. It is a term of endearment.

Let me ask you: Do you find prayer to be boring or drudgery? If so, you should question whether you are a child of the heavenly Father. Genuine prayer is for children only. Genuine prayer means talking and listening to the heavenly Father. Prayer is holy communion, communion of the spirit. It is an edifying, invigorating, and energizing exchange between God and his dear children.

The Prayer of Hypocrites

What about hypocrites? Hypocrites do not pray to the heavenly Father. They are actors who only seek praise from people. Because they desire a reputation for piety, they may pray long prayers in the synagogues and on the street corners, but they are never praying to the heavenly Father. In fact, they cannot. Why? Because they are not children of God.

Jesus said the righteousness of his disciples must exceed the righteousness of the Pharisees and the scribes in order to enter into the kingdom of God. That meant the Pharisees and scribes would not enter into the kingdom of God. Why? They were hypocrites, not children of the heavenly Father. Hypocrites never trust in Jesus Christ, and without trusting in Christ, no one can become a child of the heavenly Father. Jesus Christ is the way, the truth and the life. He is the only way to the Father, and no one comes to the Father except through him.

True prayer to God our heavenly Father is a privilege exclusively accorded to a Christian, meaning one who has trusted in Jesus Christ and been adopted into God’s family. Only a Christian is given this mighty privilege by Jesus Christ to call the transcendent, all-glorious, all-wise, all-sovereign almighty God by the term, “Abba.”

We must realize that only a Christian can truly pray. Of course, throughout the world you may observe multitudes of people praying daily at set times. When I travel, even in the airport I see people all of a sudden beginning to pray when the time comes. They pray openly so that everyone can see how pious they are. But such people are not praying to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, our heavenly Father. But there is no other God beside him. Therefore, any prayer that is not offered to him is not true prayer.

The hypocritical Pharisees prayed long prayers. Were they praying to God? No. They were praying only to themselves. They prayed only to be heard and applauded by men, and their prayers originated from their lips, not from their hearts. Such people are absolutely oblivious to the infinite, eternal, sovereign God. Self-righteous and self-sufficient, they are only conscious of themselves. They have no need.

Some Christians pray like hypocrites. They love to parade their piety by publicly praying before men. They are like the Laodiceans whom Jesus spoke about in Revelation 3:15-17: “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I am about to spit you out of my mouth. You say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing. . . ‘” Although the Laodiceans thought they had no need, I am sure they came to church and prayed. But theirs was certainly a Pharisaical, hypocritical prayer. Why? Again, they were self-sufficient and without need, they thought. So although they prayed, they did not pray truly.

The Prayer of Pagans

Pagans pray also. You see pagans praying throughout the world. I recently visited a country in which I saw many people prostrating themselves to idols and praying. Certainly there was religious freedom there–as long as you do not worship the God of the Bible. And most churches in this country would be very happy to live in such a country and worship because they also do not worship the true and the living God.

There are many people, therefore, throughout the world who pray daily. Pagans pray! But in verse 7 Jesus calls their prayers “babbling” or “vain repetition.” Why did he say that? Because pagans believe their gods can be won over by a lot of words. They try to impress their gods with the sheer bulk of their prayers.

In 1 Kings 18 we get a little flavor of the prayer of pagans. There Elijah told the people, in essence, “We want to settle this question: Who is the real God? If Yahweh is the true God, serve him. If Baal is the real God, serve him.” Then Elijah made a test. There was a sacrifice which had to be consumed by fire from on high. The pagans were given the first opportunity to demonstrate Baal is God.

So the prophets of Baal assembled and in verse 25 we read, “Elijah said to the prophets of Baal, ‘Choose one of the bulls and prepare it first, since there are so many of you. Call on the name of your god, but do not light the fire.’ So they took the bull given them and prepared it. Then they called on the name of Baal from morning till noon. ‘O Baal, answer us!’ they shouted,” and you could hear it again and again. This is the vain repetition. “But there was no response; no one answered. And they danced around the altar they had made. At noon Elijah began to taunt them. ‘Shout louder!’ he said. ‘Surely he is a god! Perhaps he is deep in thought, or busy, or traveling. Maybe he is sleeping and must be awakened.’ So they shouted louder and slashed themselves with swords and spears, as was their custom, until their blood flowed. Midday passed, and they continued their frantic prophesying until the time for the evening sacrifice. But there was no response, no one answered, no one paid attention.” From morning to evening they prayed. Babbling! Multitude of prayers! But what happened? Nothing. No god came. That is the prayer of the pagans.

We read about such pagan prayers in the New Testament as well. In Acts 19:32-34 we read, “The assembly was in confusion: Some were shouting one thing, some another. Most of the people did not even know why they were there. The Jews pushed Alexander to the front and some of the crowd shouted instructions to him. He motioned for silence in order to make a defense before the people, but when they realized that he was a Jew, they all shouted in unison for about two hours: ‘Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!'” meaning the many-breasted marble statue of the goddess. Two hours of babbling!

Pagans pray a lot. Why? They are hoping to impress their gods and wrest favors from them. All such prayers are a useless waste of energy. But pagans love to pray. They will pray standing, prostrating, sitting and kneeling. They will pray at various times–in the morning, at noon, in the evening and in the middle of the night. In fact, as I grew up I would hear the prayers of the pagans beginning at 4 A.M. It is all a waste of time.

The Prayers of Christians: Dealing with Sin

Christians also pray. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, he taught them to address this transcendent God as “Our Father in heaven.” This proves that prayer is the privilege of the children of God. But one cannot be a child of God without dealing with the issue of sin. God said, “Be ye holy because I am holy.” God will not hear the prayers of sinners. It is impossible! So sin is a serious issue that must be dealt with before one can pray.

What is sin? In the Greek language there are five words used to refer to sin. The first word is hamartia, which means missing the mark, the target of righteousness. In Romans 3:23 we read, “All have sinned and come short of the glory of God.” We missed the mark, the target.

The second word is parabasis, which means stepping across God’s boundary. In other words, this word for sin means trespass.

The third word is paraptoma, which means a slipping across, according to William Barclay. Parabasis is stepping across but this is slippage–slipping across the boundary.

The fourth word is anomia, which means “I know what is right but I deliberately choose to do that which is evil.” It is lawlessness.

The fifth word is opheilema, which means a failure to pay the debt of righteousness. We owe God obedience every day. Why? He created us and, thus, we must render him obedience in all things. But we have failed to do so and that is expressed in the word opheilema .

Sin must be dealt with before we pray. Have you ever wondered by God didn’t listen to your prayers? In Psalm 66:18 we read, “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.” This may be the reason your prayers are not answered. We must always remember that God is angry with sinners daily. Our sin problem must be solved before we can pray because sin separates man from holy God. So God sent his Son to reconcile man to the Father by the removal of sin from us. Christ came to die for our sins and was raised for our justification.

The Boldness of Christian Prayer

In Hebrews 10:19 we read, “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place. . .” Now, that demonstrates a lot of confidence. The Most Holy Place! Where do we get that confidence? Through Jesus Christ, who justified us and solved our sin problem. And how do we enter? By the blood of Jesus. The blood of Jesus solved our problem of sin. “Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”

This is wonderful news, isn’t it? No man can pray on his own. Why? Because all have sinned and come short of the glory of God, and that sin separates us from a holy, transcendent God. But God himself planned salvation and sent his own Son to die because of our sins. Because Jesus died, everyone who trusts in him and the work he has done on the cross will experience the removal of sin once and for all. He who trusts in Christ is justified freely by Christ’s grace and given access to the Father who dwells in the Most Holy Place. In true prayer there is great confidence and boldness.

In Ephesians 2:18 we read, “For through him”–that is, through Jesus Christ– “we both have access to the Father by one Spirit.” Jews and Gentiles come to the Father through Jesus Christ by the Holy Spirit. And in Romans 5:1,2 we read, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. . .” You see, the issue of sin must be settled. God was angry, but his anger was turned away as we trusted in the sacrifice of propitiation of our Lord Jesus Christ. (PGM) So Paul wrote, “Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.” Christians stand in the very presence of God, placed there by the Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit. And this God, we discover, loves us.

In 1 John 1:9 we read, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” That qualifies us to come into the very presence of God and enjoy communion. Talk to him, and he will talk to you.

Confidence Before God

To those who trusted in Christ and are indwelt by the Holy Spirit, a promise is given: “Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from him anything we ask because because we obey his commands and do what pleases him” (1 John 3:22).

Why do you think people don’t pray? Because in order to pray effectively, we have to obey God and live to please him and him alone. But if we do that, then we can come into God’s glorious presence with a good conscience. We can speak to him and he will speak to us. That is invigorating, edifying, encouraging. That is holy communion.

In 1 John 5:14 we read, “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” What a tremendous thought: God will hear us. When our sin problem is dealt with through Jesus Christ and we are adopted into God’s family, God becomes our heavenly Father and we are given this mighty privilege to address him as “Abba–our Daddy–in heaven.”

God As Father

In Galatians 4:6 Paul tells us, “Because you are sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, ‘Abba, Father.'” We are sons, and prayer is the privilege of the sons of God. Thus, we can come and pray to our Father in heaven.

How wonderful to know that God is our Father, now and forever, and he is a Father who loves us and delights in us! And in Psalm 103:13 we read, “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him.” God is full of compassion for us. Why? We are his children.

Now, we must make it very clear that most people cannot claim God as their Father. Only those who trust in Jesus Christ can claim him to be their Father. Those who reject Jesus Christ still belong to their father the devil, as we read in John 8. Perhaps you have heard of the idea of the universal fatherhood of God. Jesus did not believe in this idea. God is the Creator of all but he is the Father only of those who trust in his Son Jesus Christ. So in John 8:44 Jesus told those who hated him, those who refused to believe in him and were bent on destroying him, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire.”

We must consider it a very high privilege to have God as our heavenly Father through Jesus Christ. And let me assure you, if you have trusted in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation based on his death on the cross for your sins, then God has become your heavenly Father.

In 2 Corinthians 1:3 Paul says God is “the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles.” Isn’t that wonderful? Our Father is the Father of mercies and God of all comforts. He understands our situation and even now comforts us in all our troubles. By faith we can look and see God the Father comforting us.

God is also the Father of great love. In 1 John 3:1 we read, “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God!” How great is God’s love! And where do we see the greatest demonstration of that love? At the cross. In Romans 8:32 we read, “He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all. . .” This is love unmeasurable and beyond all comprehension. It is an exclamation: “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us!” God’s love is without measure. It is like a chorus we sing: “His love surrounds me like the sea.”

Alone with God

The love of God the Father is great love indeed. But who are the recipients of his love? Miserable and wretched sinners like us. So we are encouraged to pray, and Jesus told his disciples to go to God, their heavenly Father, and call on him. “Go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen,” Jesus said in Matthew 6:6. In other words, we must come away from all distractions and noises of the world and get alone with God.

In Isaiah 26:20 we read, “Go, my people, enter your rooms and shut the doors behind you; hide yourselves for a little while until his wrath has passed by.” What was God saying here? His judgment was falling all around but God was telling his people, “Come on! Come into the room! Shut the door! You will be safe and secure.” We have safety and security in God.

We find this idea of entering one’s room and closing the door in 2 Kings 4, where Elisha raised the dead boy. “When Elisha reached the house, there was the boy lying dead on his couch. He went in, shut the door on the two of them and prayed to the Lord” (2 Kings 4:32-33). Elisha knew how wonderful it was to be alone with God. When you shut the door, you become conscious of God and God alone. You forget about all others and you forget about yourself. You are only conscious of God and his presence, and you talk to him and hear from him.

So, come away children of God! Enter your room and close the door. Shut the world out and pray. Don’t be like the Pharisees, who pray to themselves, or the pagans, who pray to false gods. Pour out your heart to your Father who is in heaven.

Our Great Heavenly Father

Who is this God who calls us to come? He is the Father who loves us. Yes, God is immanent, meaning he is with us, but he is also our Father in heaven. We have to keep in mind that he is the transcendent, holy God. We must have proper balance and understand that our Father in heaven is the infinite God–the God who is spirit; the God who is a person of infinite intelligence; the God who is transcendent; the God of infinite majesty and glory; the God who is omniscient, omnipresent, and almighty; the God who is the sovereign Ruler of the universe; the God who is all-holy, all-wise and just; the God of truth and mercy; the God who pardons our sins in Christ; the God who loved us before the creation of the world.

This God loves us with everlasting love and knows all about us, including our needs. This God counts all our hairs and without him not even a sparrow can fall to the ground. This is the God who bids us to come and pray. And this great God promises to hear our prayers. He will meet us and meet our needs. He guarantees it.

Come to God!

Therefore, Christians, come into the presence of this God and talk to him. Let him embrace you, caress you, strengthen you, encourage you, protect you, provide for you, and grant you wisdom and guidance. God hears in secret because he is spirit and he will reward you. How do we know that? He said so. That is the basis of prayer: “You promised it, O God; do it.”

Come to his presence with confidence and with holy reverence, and you shall go out with joy. He will never drive you away. He will receive you and reward you. He guarantees that he will meet your needs. He knows your need already even before you pray to him in secret. But he requires us to pray and exercise our faith in him as his dear children.

Coming to God in prayer is loving him. And he will meet all our needs–spiritual and material. In Philippians 4:19 Paul wrote, “And my God will supply all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.” Why did he say that? Because he had proved that truth in his own life. His God had supplied all his needs, and so he could say with confidence to the Philippians, “My God will supply all your needs,” beginning with spiritual and ending with material. And what is the proportion? “According to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.”

In Psalm 34 we read, “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me: let us exalt his name together.” And now he gives you the reason for all this excitement. What is it? “I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the LORD encamps around those who fear him, and he delivers them. Taste and see that the LORD is good; blessed is the man who takes refuge in him. Fear the LORD, you his saints, for those who fear him lack nothing. The lions may grow weak and hungry, but those who seek the LORD lack no good thing” (Ps. 34:1-10).

Hypocrites and pagans are excluded from God’s presence, but his children are always welcome. And he will receive them and bless them–blessed be his glorious name!

Only Children Pray

Now the question is, can you pray? You cannot, unless you are a child of God. Why? Only a Christian’s prayer is heard by God the heavenly Father. Oh, this is a shocking thing to say in our pluralistic society, but it is the truth. The true God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, does not hear the prayers of sinners. And it is also true that there is no way to come to God except through the way, who is Jesus Christ. So if you have never bowed your head and bent your knees to Jesus Christ, you must do so today. Then you will learn what it means to pray to the infinite, all-glorious, all-sovereign God of the universe, who alone is able to help you in all your troubles.

Perhaps you claim to be a Christian, but you have been living a life of hypocrisy, even though you heard the truth so many times. I warn you, in the name of Jesus Christ, that you had better tremble before this God and put away all phoniness, hypocrisy, so-called strength, and the pretension like the Laodiceans, that you have need of nothing. Let me tell you, people like this never pray. Even when they pray, they don’t truly pray.

Learn to Pray

I pray that we will all learn to pray to our God who guarantees to hear our prayers and meet our every need. What is our greatest need? It is spiritual. Our greatest need is for a revival.

If you have never trusted in Christ, I urge you to trust in Jesus Christ today. And if you are a Christian hypocrite who pretends you have everything, take warning! May God help you to tremble before him, humble before him, and kiss his Son. When we kiss the Son and bow down before him, we will be accepted by the Father. Then he will tell us, “Go ahead and pray.”

May God help us not to be hypocrites or pagans, but to become children of God. May the Spirit of the living God fall upon all of us and melt away the hardness of our hearts that we may cry out to God, “O God, have mercy upon me, a sinner.” May we come to God through the new and living way that is opened up to us through the body of Jesus Christ. May we come into the Most Holy Place with confidence knowing that God loves us, God hears us, God forgives all our sins and God meets our every need. To God be all glory! Amen.