Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Hypocrisy, Secrets and Prayer

“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. “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:5-8, NKJV).

The Biblical definition of a hypocrite is very specific and refers to someone who does something ostentatiously religious with underlying motives of pride and self-worship. The act, whatever it is, does not honor God, but self. I believe everyone is capable of hypocrisy. We in the West, and probably in most other cultures, are trained in it from childhood. "Tell Grandmother you love her, sweetheart, and thank her for the gift," when the child, by nature brutally self-absorbed, feels neither love nor gratitude.

The most egregious form of hypocrisy, however, is that which is directed toward God. In these verses, Jesus is continuing His brilliant discourse on spiritual hypocrisy, first having tackled giving, and now focusing on prayer. I suppose it is impolite to characterize human beings immersed in falsely spiritual pride as idiots, but it HAS to be the case. Otherwise, how would one logically conclude that it is possible to deceive an omnipresent and omniscient God. What exactly is the thought process, I'll just tuck my true feelings and thoughts away over here underneath my cerebellum, and He'll NEVER notice! 

Of course, it IS possible that someway actually believes that they can successfully mask their real attitudes toward God, but then they must also have concluded that the God they purport to serve is an idiot. The only other plausible explanation is that they don't really believe in God, as God, and their conspicuous religiosity is for other than "spiritual" purposes. One thing is incontrovertibly true, it is IMPOSSIBLE to be an inadvertent hypocrite. It's conscious, or it isn't hypocrisy, it's something else.

People who pray just to be noticed do not understand the purpose or power of prayer at all. What they really understand, and attempt to manipulate, is human regard. The currency that energizes their display is not faith, but reputation. They want to be seen by men. They want to be considered spiritual or religious or holier-than-thou in order to place themselves higher in the food chain, and to put put others, especially potential rivals for the same fodder, lower. Be assured that if that strategy works and they do receive notice and acclaim from men, they have, as have the theatrical givers in the verses prior to this passage, forfeited all reward from God.

In contrast, Jesus instructs His followers emphatically to be different, to be virtually the opposite. “But you, when you pray…". Notice the repetition. I can almost see Him scanning the faces of those listening, pausing as He locked eyes with one or another for additional impact. “But you, when you pray…" do the opposite. Be different. Where the hypocrites are loud and showy, you be humble and private. Instead of down on the corner, go into a private place. Instead of broadcasting your dramatized soliloquy in public, pray from your heart in secret, because your Father is in your deepest heart, if you are His, and He sees and knows all that is in you. Pray in secret and He will reward you openly.

Prayer is an act of faith and a private declaration of utter dependence. It is not a badge of honor, but something intimate and hidden, and a sign of relationship with an all-powerful, all-knowing Sovereign. It is not a float in a parade, but an invisible wedding ring. Does this mean that all public prayer falls into this same category? It can't. Jesus Himself prayed in front of others, both believers and unbelievers, especially prayers of thanks when He fed the multitudes and raised Lazarus from the dead. The Apostle Paul also prayed publicly for and among his churches. No, it isn't only the publicity Jesus is warning against, but the publicity coupled with an insincere heart. How better to safeguard yourself from the temptation to be noticed in prayer than to pray in private?

Vain, repetitive, ritualistic or ceremonial phrases are also hallmarks of insincerity and lack of a heart-relationship. Can you imagine if you communicated with your earthly loved ones in magical incantations and sonorous phrases? It says much about who you think God is, and what you think He desires, and the key word in both those concepts is you. What you imagine God is like versus who He has lovingly revealed Himself to be in His word and in the heart of a true believer. Heathens, who look to God as a genie of their own making, ritualize and trivialize what God has ordained to be a magnificent and incomprehensibly privileged means of communication between a loving Father and His beloved child. To demean that through the equivalent of spells and formulas, or mindlessly repeated phrases is yet another way to proclaim your fundamental unbelief.

Understand that it is not the words but the love and faith behind the words that count. It is not the eloquence, but the sincerity. "For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him."  In other words, "Delight yourself also in the LORD, And He shall give you the desires of your heart." (Psalms 37:4, NKJV).
Beloved, be careful of ritual or ceremony, especially in regard to prayer. Look at it as a priceless communication from your heart to the heart of God. And avoid theatrics in prayer. It may play well in the auditorium, but the true audience is not your fellow man, but the Almighty God Himself, who so loves you that He sent His own Son as payment for your sin. Make it from the heart and not the mouth. Make it for Him and Him alone, and then whether alone or in company, your prayer is as holy incense to the One who made you and redeemed you.