Matthew 6:5-13 And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him. In this manner, therefore, pray: 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 forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Jesus gave this example of prayer to the Apostles when they asked Him how they should pray. It is often referred to as the LORD’s Prayer, but it is more accurately identified as the Apostles’ Prayer. The opening clause of the Apostle's Prayer demonstrates for us our needed adoration of the Father. In the middle section of this prayer, we see our need for our confession of sin. The prayer closes with an attitude of thanksgiving and adoration.

Jesus began by telling them that their prayers should not be like the hypocrites and should not cause all the attention to be brought upon the person praying. He addresses the religious here and reveals the focus of their hearts. This is all done for the praise of men, not the praise of God. These men are more mindful of men than of God. Jesus states that if there are only men to hear us and if that is who is important to us, then that is all the reward we will get. The praise of men doesn’t last long, and it isn’t very satisfying or fulfilling.

God, on the other hand, sees where no man can see and that is in the inner rooms of the heart. He tells us that we should not worry about our rewards or our praise. God is a faithful rewarder. He is just and He never forgets the wages earned, whether it be for good or evil. He states that our reward will be seen in the open and revealed to all who are present with Him, that is—all the saints. 2 Corinthians 5:10 "For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive the things done in the body, according to what he has done, whether good or bad."  On a side note, this reward is all that will be seen because everything else is wiped away by the precious blood of the Lamb. We don’t have to worry about a public screening of all our sins. We will stand before the BEMA seat, the seat of rewards, not the seat of CONDEMNATION or JUDGMENT. (Hebrews 11:6; 1 Corinthians 3:11-15)

Jesus tells us not to use vain words or many words. Vain words usually have to do with flattery and pride. The Bible doesn’t have much good to say about them. The Bible also tells us that in many words sin is not lacking (Proverbs 10:19). Jesus then tells them not to imitate the hypocrites, because our heavenly Father knows our needs before we do. We can trust Him fully and completely.

Jesus then begins to show us how to pray. You’ll notice that He is speaking to His own children, which means that a person has to know Him personally, not just as a god. This shows that this is a model of prayer that we are to repeat both in public and in private. It illustrates four important matters in presentation: 1) our attitudes in which we should approach God, 2) an order which we, as God’s children, should take when we make our requests known to Him, 3) the priority of our needs (a correct focus), and 4) the adoration which is due our Father in heaven when we make our supplications known.

We find the example of this prayer in the Gospel of Matthew, as well as the Gospel of Luke. This model is for both Jews (Matthew was written from a Jewish perspective) and Gentiles (Luke addresses Jesus from a Gentile perspective). It is for everyone and everybody.

Notice that Jesus has our focus on others, not on self. This is indicated by the words “us” and “our,” as opposed to “me” or “my.” The focus of the Apostles’ Prayer is on God and others, not so much on us. The first three portions of this prayer show us that our hearts must be right before Him; they are concerned about our relationship with Him. It shows us that God and others are to be our first and foremost concern. The needs of self are to be secondary. The last four petitions are concerned with our own welfare and needs. It also shows that this prayer has to be of the heart, not just of the lips.

The Apostle’s Prayer states that God is in heaven. How far does your voice normally travel? Across the room? Across the field? Across the canyon? To the clouds? If our voices that are uttered by our lips cannot be heard around us here on the earth, how can we expect God to hear us in the throne room of heaven without assistance from someone other than human? The only voice that God can and will hear is that of a broken and contrite heart, one who is contrite and poor in spirit. (Isaiah 66:2; Psalms 34:18, 51:17; Philippians 2:3-4)