The Gospel of Matthew: Prayer

The Gospel of Matthew informs us that Jesus had a great deal to say about prayer. Indeed, that account has more to say on the subject than the other three Gospels combined! Of course, the most widely recognized teaching of Jesus on the subject is the model prayer which he gave to his disciples. He told them:

Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come,

your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil. (Matthew 6:9-13, ESV)

Now, rightly, "The Lord's Prayer" has stood the test of time. It is still recited throughout Christendom on a regular basis, and it has been written about in great detail. Nevertheless, Jesus Christ made a number of other points about prayer in this Gospel. He told his followers to pray:

For those who mistreated and persecuted them (Matthew 5:44)

Privately (Matthew 6:5-6)

Concisely and without meaningless repetitions (Matthew 6:7)

For more evangelists (Matthew 9:38)

In solitude without distractions (Matthew 14:23)

For the removal of demonic influences (Matthew 17:21)

For the blessing of children (Matthew 19:13)

In faith - believing that we will receive what we ask for (Matthew 21:13, 22)

Sincerely and without flowery or long-winded speeches (Matthew 23:14)

For favorable conditions when the end is near (Matthew 24:20)

When we are in distress (Matthew 26:36)

That we will not succumb to temptation (Matthew 26:41)

Hence, let us all pray that God will help us to follow Christ's example and teachings regarding prayer!