when you pray (Matt 6:5-6)

Matthew 5:5-6

And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward . But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

Again Jesus says *when*, not *if*, you pray. He clearly expects us to be praying!

There is clearly a time for praying together, Jesus is not saying that we should always pray alone, his point is about our motivation. When praying with others are we trying to impress them. It's ok to pray long, but are we trying to impress others with the length of the prayer? It's ok to consider who you are with and use appropriate language, but are you trying to stand out with the language you use? The opposite side of the same problem is not being willing to pray with others. The same pride and self-concern that motivated the Pharisees to make a spectacle of their prayers also drives others to keep their mouths shut because of what others may think about them.

Jesus talks about praying in private. How does my public prayer life compare to my private prayer life? Corporate prayer should be just an extension of our individual practice of prayer. Could another reason why we tend to sit around in silence be that we don't pray individually either?