Motives of the Heart in Prayer

One of the characteristics of our natural self is a desire to draw attention to ourselves - to be seen by others; and while this tendency is natural, Jesus’s desire for His followers is that they live to be seen first and foremost by God their Father. In Matthew 6:5–13 Jesus speaks to this in relation to prayer. When we pray, do we do so to be seen and heard by others, or solely by the Father? This sermon interacts with motives of the heart in prayer, as we learn from Jesus where to pray and why, what not to say in prayer, and how to pray; and as Jesus taught, we learn that as we pray to our Father in secret, the Father who sees in secret will reward us - with Himself, with joy and with prayers answered.