Today’s focus is on the heart of prayer as Jesus teaches in the Sermon on the Mount. Prayer is not meant to be a performance for others, but an authentic, private conversation with our Heavenly Father. Jesus warns against praying for the admiration of people or using empty, repetitive words to sound spiritual. Instead, the invitation is to come before God with sincerity, seeking connection rather than approval. The call is to examine our motives: are we praying to impress, or to truly commune with God?

Jesus provides a model for prayer in what we call the Lord’s Prayer. The prayer begins with relationship—addressing God as Father, which speaks to intimacy and belonging. It moves to worship, recognizing God’s holiness and uniqueness, and then to submission, asking for God’s kingdom and will to be realized on earth. This first half centers on God’s purposes and glory.

The second half of the prayer shifts to our daily needs, dependence, and the reality of our brokenness. Jesus teaches us to ask for daily provision, echoing the Israelites’ dependence on God for manna in the wilderness. He emphasizes forgiveness, both receiving it from God and extending it to others, highlighting that forgiveness is not optional but essential for those who follow Christ. Repentance is not just about turning from sin, but about turning toward God, filling our lives with His presence and truth.

Finally, Jesus instructs us to seek deliverance from temptation and evil, not because God tempts us, but because we need His strength to resist the pull of our own wisdom and the lies of the enemy. The Lord’s Prayer is not just a formula, but a pattern for authentic, surrendered living. Jesus himself models this in Gethsemane, praying with honesty, intimacy, and submission: “Not my will, but yours be done.” True prayer may not always change our circumstances, but it will always change our hearts, aligning us with God’s will and making us His representatives in the world.