Matthew 6:5-15 (NIV)
5 “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 others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 6 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. 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

9 “This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, 10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ 14 For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.

Matthew 7:7-11 (NIV)
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

Reflection

We can see from this section that prayer is fundamental in our relationship with God. Even though this set of passages is very similar to what we read in Luke 11:1-13, there are some slight differences in the details. One of which is in Jesus’ explanation on the issue of forgiveness. In Luke, Jesus does bring up the matter of asking for forgiveness while having a heart to forgive others. While in Matthew, Jesus continues this point by stressing the fact that forgiving others is actually essential in being right before God. Therefore, if we come before God with persistent and heartfelt pleas, yet we are unwilling to forgive our neighbor for even the slightest wrong, then God will not forgive our own sins. Which in turn, leaves us outside of His loving forgiveness. Yet, if we do forgive our neighbor, then we are fully apart of God’s loving care, and able to receive all of the good gifts that we need. Although the Holy Spirit is not specifically mentioned in these passages we know from other readings, as well as from our own experiences, that God loves to fill His people with His Spirit so that we may truly know Him and tell others about His unfailing love for us.

Response

Let’s pray that we would not only be people that are hungry for God’s favor and blessing over our lives, but that we would also have hearts to willingly and graciously forgive those that have wronged us. For if we try to live any other way, we may find ourselves in complete lack of the very forgiveness that sustains us and allows us to be in His presence. May God stretch our hearts in new ways, so that we can fully experience His loving grace.