When You Pray and Fast, Do It for God
Daily Scripture
Matthew 6:5-6, 16-18
5 “When you pray, don’t be like hypocrites. They love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners so that people will see them. I assure you, that’s the only reward they’ll get. 6 But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees what you do in secret will reward you.
16 “And when you fast, don’t put on a sad face like the hypocrites. They distort their faces so people will know they are fasting. I assure you that they have their reward. 17 When you fast, brush your hair and wash your face. 18 Then you won’t look like you are fasting to people, but only to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Daily Reflection & Prayer
In Matthew 6, Jesus kept teaching about a “greater righteousness” (Matthew 5:20), and never said “if.” He said, “when you pray” “when you fast”—not “if” you pray or fast. “When” meant growing new habits on purpose. Scholar N. T. Wright noted, Jesus “assumes that people will continue to do all of these. What matters is learning to do them simply to and for God himself.” * “Hypocrites” literally meant actors wearing masks to put on a show. Jesus didn’t want “acting” religion, outer show without inwardly serving God.
- Jesus didn’t condemn public prayers—he himself prayed publicly. He did say prayer shouldn’t be only or primarily for public display. Scholar William Barclay wrote about “an ornate and elaborate prayer offered in a Boston Church” that someone described as “the most eloquent prayer ever offered to a Boston audience.” Barclay noted, “The preacher was more concerned with impressing the congregation than with making contact with God.” ** How do you make contact with God in prayer a regular part of your life? Are you ever tempted to pray impressive-sounding prayers?
- A typical fast might mean giving up food for 12-24 hours, to create space in your life to focus on God. (Note: people with certain medical conditions or who are pregnant should not fast from food without medical guidance. Christians also fast from smartphones, TV, or other valued activities rather than food.) Does Jesus’ phrase “when you fast” trigger any conviction in you? If you’ve never practiced fasting, would you consider a short fast—perhaps skipping one or two meals to spend that time in prayer? How might regular fasting deepen your spiritual life?
Prayer
Lord Jesus, I can define “prayer” or “fasting,” but practicing them meaningfully is more challenging. Help me move beyond performing religion for others’ approval to genuinely communing with you in secret. Grow my hunger for you. Amen.
GPS Insights
Lydia Kim
Lydia Kim, who serves as a pastor of Connection and Care at Resurrection Leawood, wrote today's Insights. An avid believer that growing in faith pairs well with fellowship and food, she is always ready for recommendations on local restaurants and coffee shops.
One of my spiritual heroes is my mom. My mom is a prayer warrior. She has spent countless hours praying for our family, friends, church, and neighbors over the years. Most people have no idea how many hours she spends praying for people each week because they don’t see her doing it, and she doesn’t tell them. However, unlike most people, if she tells you she is praying for you, she means it, and I can vouch for that.
She is often holed up in her bedroom, praying out loud or at the kitchen table at night, and this has been a practice I have seen throughout my life. I’d often wake up in the middle of the night and sneak downstairs to watch TV, only to find her in the kitchen with her Bible open, praying for my teachers and friends at school or the neighbor down the street who had their first grandchild.
For my mom, prayer is like breathing. It is just a part of her life. She gets up in the morning – she prays. She goes to sleep at night – she prays. I remember asking her, as a child, how she could pray for so long, and she told me: 1. It takes practice and 2. The longer you are friends with Jesus, the more time you want to spend with him.
I’ve learned over time that these two statements are very true. Your prayer life doesn’t have to be perfect, and the words you say don’t have to be eloquent, but the act of prayer (and fasting) is important. The more we practice and spend time with God, the more we get to know God and ourselves.
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Scripture quotations are taken from The Common English Bible ©2011. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
References
* Wright, N.T., Matthew for Everyone, Part 1: Chapters 1-15 (The New Testament for Everyone) (p. 55). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.
** William Barclay, Daily Study Bible Series: The Gospel of Matthew—Volume 1, Chapters 1–10 (Revised Edition). Louisville: Westminster John Knox Press, 1976, pp. 197.
