“But as for you, when you fast, anoint your head and wash your face, so that your fasting will not be noticed by people but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:17-18).

When you were a child, did you every cry out, “Look at me?”  We are often led to seek the approval of others.  Do not call attention to yourself but go about your day in ordinary fashion.  The Lord will lead.  Come to the Lord and learn how to pray without ceasing.  In every circumstance and at all times the Lord is with you.  God sees and knows all things, even the depths of your heart.

Lord God, You watch the generations pass before You.  You know the end from the beginning.  In You alone do we breathe and have our being.  The pride of this world leads us to think we have raised ourselves up on our own.  You remind us that You are the Creator and we have been created by You.  Help all of us who walk by faith to humbly recognize that we are in Your eternal presence.

Lord Jesus, You have taught me to pray.  Your word tells me to pray without ceasing.  You are constantly with me and will never leave, nor forsake me.  Lead me this day to live in an ordinary way but be in constant communication with You through prayer.  Lead me on the upward journey of becoming more like You each day You give me in this age.  With You there are no secrets, only the hope You give me through the salvation You have provided.  Amen.

“Now whenever you fast, do not make a gloomy face as the hypocrites do, for they distort their faces so that they will be noticed by people when they are fasting. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full” (Matthew 6:16).

Whom are you trying to impress?  This world encourages pretense. The Lord deals in the real.  Do not try to impress others, but in all things, walk humbly with the Lord.  When you fast, do so to come closer to the Lord.  Others need not know what you are doing.  This is about your relationship with the Lord, not that of others.  Be genuine with the Lord and He will walk with you.

Lord, there are times when I do show off.  I want others’ approval.  Help me to be humble and walk with You honestly, seeking Your approval.  Lead me according to Your goodness and mercy to do away with pretense and live truthfully.  You are the One who is my judge.  Why do I care what my neighbor thinks of me, or how religious I am? Help me to be truthful with everyone.

Lead me, Lord, in the way You know I need to go.  Jesus, You were so ordinary when You walked the earth that Your hometown couldn’t recognize You as the Messiah.  Help me to learn from You and be ordinary too.  Help me to delight in being ordinary on the outside while seeking to grow closer to You every day by those means You lead me to through the Holy Spirit.  Guide me now and always in honesty and reality, Lord.  Amen.

“For if you forgive other people for their offenses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.  But if you do not forgive other people, then your Father will not forgive your offenses” (Matthew 6:14-15).

This is not a conditional phrase in the sense that if you do one thing, our Lord will do another.  But it is conditional in that your heart will reveal whether you are like Christ.  To have a forgiving attitude reflects Christ in you.  Seek first the righteousness Christ gives and then all else which is needed shall be added.  If you are filled with hate, how can there be a relationship of love?

Lord, I do not ponder over these things enough.  I put things on a list and then check them off when I think I’ve accomplished what needs to be done.  Help me to meditate upon what it means to be a forgiving person.  You have forgiven me.  Help me to learn how to truly forgive others.  Only in the power of the Holy Spirit is this truly possible.  To receive forgiveness, you must rid yourself of the bitterness that a lack of forgiveness retains. As you sow, so shall you reap.

Lord, I do want to be free.  Lead me in the freedom You give through forgiveness.  Help me to learn how to let go of resentment so that I can forgive as I have been forgiven.  These things are not conditional, but a part of the healing process as I recover from the sins of this world.  Lead me always, Lord Jesus, so that I may walk the narrow path and become like You according to the Father’s will.  Amen.

“Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.  And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil” (Matthew 6:11-13).

Most everyone has all that they need.  Need, not want.  Mind you, we are reminded of those who do not have, but is it need or want?  Besides, if I had no home, no food, no extra clothing, but our Lord was with me, I would have all I need.  Sometimes we are too focused upon things and forget that our Lord delivers us from evil and grants us all that we need.  He redeemed us from the pit by His precious death and glorious resurrection.

Lord, by three powerful ideas in a couple of sentences You sum up how to live this life You have given me.   I owe all to You.  There is nothing I can give You that you do not already have except my heart.  Guide me in the way of living this life so that I am gracious to others, charitable as possible, and forgiving of others as You have forgiven me.  I do need Your help to do this, for this goes against the old Adam in me.

Lord Jesus, You do not make these things conditional; they are the reality of what kind of person I will become if I am to become like You.  Guide me so that I learn how to be thankful for what You have given me, forgive others and avoid temptation.  Keep me on the straight and narrow path so that I may grow in Your likeness and put into practice the heavenly things that You are teaching me.  Amen.

“Pray, then, in this way: ‘Our Father, who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven’” (Matthew 6:9).

Your Father and not some distant figure.  Your father is to be hallowed.  Do you look to the Lord and trust Him?  Do you look to the Lord and revere Him?  His kingdom is in your heart.  He desires to do His will through you.  He wants you to learn to do things here and now as you will do them in heaven.  He has chosen to partner with you in the adventure of making you to be like Christ.

Lord, I often take these things so seriously.  Yes, they are important.  More important than anything, but I do not need to be driven.  Guide me to live a full life, which includes the joy You give in everyday life.  Lead me according to Your goodness and mercy to live with You Father, seeking to do Your will on earth the way I will do it in heaven and looking forward to Your kingdom coming within me.

Lord Jesus, with such power and simplicity, You have given us words that never stop resonating the truth of eternity.  I still need to learn more fully this prayer You have taught me.  Lead me daily to understand that my faith is way too important for me to think I can do it on my own.  Help me to live by faith in the truths You have revealed and to be guided by the Holy Spirit which You have breathed into me.  Amen.

“And when you are praying, do not use thoughtless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard because of their many words.  So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him” (Matthew 6:7-8).

A mantra may clear your mind and make you numb, but the Lord does not like gibberish any more than you do.  Talk with the Lord.  As I am speaking to you with these words, speak to the Lord with your words.  You talk all the time.  Treat the Lord as a someone, and not a something.  Is that not what He has been saying all along?  We are dealing with a real being, not with some walking manikin, idea or notion.  We’re talking about the Lord who created us all, not some made up idea.

Lord, help me to look to You as a real person and not some made up concept.  Take me to the place where I am true to You and to myself.  Teach me what it means to be truly honest.  Guide me in Your goodness so that I may now and always humbly walk with You in complete transparency and honesty.  You know all that is needed, and I thank You that I can come to You just as I am and let You transform me.

Come, Holy Spirit, and minister to the secret spots in my soul.  You know the state of my heart, where I have been and where I am going.  Guide me now and always to see that in You I have hope and a future.  In Your goodness, may I now and always pray without ceasing, looking to You for guidance, and trusting in Your promises alone.  Comfort me and lead me according to the Father’s will today and always.  Amen.

“But as for you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:6).

The Lord knows you. Not only that, He sees all of your days.  He knows what you will do.  He who knows you offers you an open door to come and talk with Him.  He will lead you.  You cannot pretend and sneak, for He sees and knows.  Come to Him earnestly, no matter the state of your faith, and begin by placing yourself in His hands.  As He has led you, He will lead you always.  Be comforted by His constant presence.

Lord, teach me to pray from the depths of my soul.  Guide me to look to You alone and not to worry about those around me when I pray.  Teach me to be discreet, conscientious, and loving of my neighbor, but always address my prayers to You.  You know the secrets of my heart.  Guide me in the Gospel way so that each day I may to You faithfully pray, learning how to pray without ceasing.

Dearest Lord and Savior, You know all the things I will do, but You also know the role I will live.  I need You to be the One guiding me.  Minister to my heart so that my prayers are faithful. Minister to my soul so that I am willing to do what You ask.  Minister to my feet so that I walk where You direct me.  In all things, teach me how to be faithful to the call through which You are leading me forward.  Amen.

“And when you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they will be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full” (Matthew 6:5).

Is it show and tell? Or is it talking with the Lord?  When you pray, to whom will you pay attention? Just as it is rude to ignore someone next to you that is trying to talk with you, so it is extremely rude to pray for the sake of being seen and not to truly pray.  Come to the Lord and talk with Him and listen as He answers your prayers Seek the Lord while He may be found.

Lord, help me.  You know the state of my heart and where I try to show off versus truly coming to You in prayer.  Whether it is the folding of my hands in church, pretending to pray while thinking of something else, or anywhere else, lead me to know that it is You, the Lord of all who knows all things to whom I am directing myself.  Guide me to be honest, true, and faithful in my prayers.

Lord Jesus, You have taught us to pray, and You are preparing us to be righteous.  Take these words and plant them deep in my soul that I may humbly come before You in prayer.  When I am seen by others, let me pray in such a way that they do not look at me when I am in conversation with You, but see my devotion to You.  You know what I need, so I lift this prayer with the hope of always being in Your hands, for You know all that I need.  Amen.

“But when you give to the poor, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing,  so that your charitable giving will be in secret; and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you” (Matthew 6:3-4).

It sure seems that sometimes people give for all the wrong reasons.  When you give, seek to be sure it is a good place to which you are giving and then let it go.  Do not be one who meddles in the outcome, but one who gives grace in the same way you have received it.  Our Lord has been overly generous to you.  Be overly generous with others in the same way.  Be guided by what the Lord is saying.

Lord, there is so much conditionality in this world.  People seem to act with an understanding that if they do one thing, they should do another.  Guide me, Lord, in the way of life I need to live so that I do what is right in Your sight.  Even if my neighbor does not know why I am doing what I am doing, let me do it anyway.  Guide me now and always in the way of righteousness as You direct.

Lord Jesus, lead me.  You know where I am and the things I do.  You know where I am manipulative and where I am honest.  Lead me to be humble and honest always.  Guide me in Your goodness and mercy to daily work on the faith You have given me.  As I practice the righteousness into which You are leading me, teach me to be generous to all as You have been generous to all.  Amen.

“So when you give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, so that they will be praised by people. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full” (Matthew 6:2).

When you do what you do to receive the approval of men, you will get what you are after.  This is temporary and fleeting.  The Lord desires for you to do what you do not just for His approval, but because it will make you to become like Christ.  The Lord created you to live a certain way.  When you live that way, you will find the joy that comes in right living and no longer look to others for approval.

Lord, I do look for approval from others.  Help me to humbly do what is right.  Take what I want on the outside and bring it to the inside so that I look to You in and for all things.  Lead me to practice those things I know are right, but do not do. Show me the way You would have me go and grant me the willingness to do these things for no other reason than it is the right thing to do.

Lord Jesus, You promised to give me a new heart.  Grant that I would have a heart that seeks to please the Father always.  Guide me in the way of righteousness so that I am more interested in what is right than in what others think about what I am doing.  I know I will need Your grace to do this Lord, so lead me by grace to continue practicing righteousness for the sake of others, knowing that this will please You.  Amen.