Motives

“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 (Matthew 6:6).”God expects us to represent Him well but not just on the outside when people are looking but on the inside when they are not looking. God’s word declares, “man looks on the outside appearance but God looks at the heart (1 Samuel 16:7)”. It’s easy to dress up and put on a good front when someone is watching. But it’s not what occurs in the presence of others that tells the true heart of followers of Christ, it’s what happens when you go home and close the doors that conveys who you really are. This applies in prayer as well.Going to God with vain repetitions and godly talk is not what He hears. God hears the prayers of those whose hearts are sincere and whose hearts are open to Him. It is in the quietness of one’s heart that God uncovers true motivations and discloses true character. And just like we are comfortable removing all of the accoutrements that make us presentable to others, it is behind the doors of our hearts that He strips us of the cover-ups and the naked truth is revealed.God desires truth and humility in what we do as well as in our prayers. Ask God to strip any prideful actions and thoughts so that He will not only hear but answer as you exercise openness, submission, and obedience to His will.