The Heart of True Prayer
Prayer is the first spiritual discipline that Rev. Sang Ho Bae explained.
The words of Matthew 6:5–8 are a spiritual mirror that reveals how deeply human sinfulness can seep even into the most holy act called prayer. The Lord says, “Do not be like the hypocrites” (Matt. 6:5), warning that prayer can be distorted into a religious performance meant to be seen by people. Just as He taught the essence of almsgiving in verses 1–4, this time He reveals through prayer what the essence of true faith is. The Lord says that prayer must be offered to the Father who is in secret. This is not merely an issue of location but a matter of where the direction and center of prayer are aimed.
Prayer is communion with God and a holy act of approaching the Father. Yet the Lord says that even in this most sacred act, sin can infiltrate. John Owen said, “Sin is the impurity that remains in all our actions,” and prayer is no exception. Sin does not work only in darkness; it follows us even in the light and seeks an opening. Even when doing good, self-boasting and pride can seep in, and even within pious acts, hidden self-display can take root. Even inside the sanctuary, even at the moment of kneeling to pray, sin tempts us. This is the terror of sin and the evidence of how deep human depravity truly is.
Sin that is outwardly revealed is, in fact, easier to repent of. But sin hidden deep within the heart—sin that makes one mistakenly think oneself righteous—is difficult to discover. The Pharisees were like this. They were convinced they were devout, but the Lord called them “whitewashed tombs” (Matt. 23:27). Outwardly they appeared flawless, but inwardly they lacked true reverence toward God. Therefore the Lord says to His disciples, “Do not be like them.” This word is not merely a rebuke to the Pharisees but a warning given to us today.
The prayer of the Pharisees was a prayer meant to be seen by people. When the time of prayer came, they deliberately stood on busy streets to pray. Their purpose was not God but the gaze of people. The Lord says, “They have received their reward in full” (Matt. 6:5). What they desired was not God’s approval but people’s praise, and since they already received that praise, it means there is no reward left from God. Calvin said in Institutes of the Christian Religion, “The moment piety before God becomes mixed with human approval, that piety has already lost its essence.” Prayer is something offered to God, not something performed to be heard by people.
Another form of wrong prayer is babbling with many words. The Lord said, “They think they will be heard because of their many words” (Matt. 6:7). Pagan religions believed that repeating a chant would move their gods or bring a response. In 1 Kings 18:26, the prophets of Baal cried out all day long, “O Baal, answer us.” But the God of Scripture is not one who must hear many words to know our needs. “Your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matt. 6:8). God is almighty and already knows our needs. Therefore, in prayer, the sincerity of the heart is more important than the quantity of words.
However, repetition itself is not wrong. Scripture does not forbid repeated prayer. Elijah prayed seven times until the rain came (1 Kings 18:43–44), and Jesus also repeated the same prayer three times in Gethsemane (Matt. 26:44). The problem is repeating without heart, without expectation, like a chant. Repetition without faith is babbling, but repetition that flows from the heart is an expression of earnestness.
Then what is right prayer? The Lord says, “Go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matt. 6:6). The “room” is not merely a physical space but a spiritual posture that looks only to God. A place where one stands alone before God, free from human eyes—that is the room. Even while walking or working, if one can focus the heart on God, that becomes the room.
The essence of prayer lies in holding fast to the truth that God is our Father. The Lord taught us to address God as “our Father in heaven” (Matt 6:9). God is not distant but a Father who knows the needs of His children and cares for them. Therefore, when we pray, we must come with the heart of children who trust in the Father’s love and with a heart that stands before God alone, unmindful of people’s gaze. This is the proper attitude in prayer that the Lord taught.
Check out The Secret Place, a contemporary Christian worship and inspirational ballad version of this article generated by AI, here.