To help me in this devotional I had to get my mom’s Bible out. It’s never too far away. This Bible was given to my mom in 1952. I have 2 pictures in the Bible. Both pictures are Black and white. One is of Mom with this Bible. The other one is of Dad and Mom, and they are both Christians. It’s a big deal to have this picture.
It was always supposed to be my Bible, but my oldest brother liked it too. He kept mom’s Bible for twenty years. At times I was not quiet about it, but mostly I was nice. He said he planned to give me the Bible when I was ordained. The ordination of 2020 was canceled because of covid. As it turned out I was ordained in 2021. The ordination was different because it was still during covid; no friends could come to the ordination. My brother passed away nine months earlier. Yes, I took Mom’s Bible to ordination.
It’s a cool Bible. Mom marked her favorite Scriptures and wrote notes in the margins. It has cross references on a lot of verses. That’s my kind of Bible. The publisher added a “special” note on the front, which says, “Authorized King James Version with the addition in many instances [in brackets] of the American Revised Version, copyright 1929.” Is that interesting or what? Now in the 21st century, you simply grab your phone or get on the computer and type what verse you want in whatever version. We are so spoiled.
My text today is Matthew 6:5-7. “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full.”
Mom’s Bible says: “5 and when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, they have their reward.”
The Message says it this way: “And when you come before God, don’t turn that into a theatrical production either. All these people making a regular show out of their prayers, hoping for fifteen minutes of fame! Do you think God sits in a box seat?”
That says it like it is. In Verse 7 it says, “7 but when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.”
The neat thing about this verse is in Mom’s Bible it has a cross-reference. I Kings 18:23- Elijah is explaining to the 450 Prophets of Baal that on both sides we will have a bull that we will each prepare and lay on wood. We will not light the fire underneath, but you call on your god and I will call on my God. Whoever calls down fire on the bull is the true God. The Baal prophets prophesied until noon. Midday passed and they were more frantic. Then into the evening sacrifice, screaming as loud as they could, cutting themselves with knives and lancets until they were bleeding. Elijah taunts them. Your god must be sleeping or on a journey. Perhaps you need to wake him? They screamed all the louder.
Elijah finally fixes the altar the Baal prophets broke. He then took 12 stones, representing the 12 tribes of Israel, and rebuilt the altar. Then he made a huge trench around the altar; then he started adding water. They were using large barrels. He added 4 barrels of water. Then, Elijah, had the workers add another 4 barrels. It still wasn’t enough. He told them to add another 4 barrels. This makes a total of 12 barrels. Then he prays to God.
In verse 37 it says: 37 Answer me, Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, Lord, are God, and that you are turning their hearts back again.”
Verse 38 is exciting: Then the fire of the Lord fell and burned up the sacrifice, the wood, the stones, and the soil, and also licked up the water in the trench.
And when all the Baal prophets saw it, they fell on their faces and said, the Lord is God. The Lord is God.
I love this story connected from Matthew back to 1Kings. I Love Elijah. God’s word is always true. Where do we go from here? How do we pray? Not like a production. Not to impress others. We talk to our Lord and Savior as a friend. We pray this way.
Matthew 6:9-This, then, is how you should pray:
“‘Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be your name,
10 your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
11 Give us today our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our trespasses
as we forgive those who trespass against us. 13 And lead us not into temptation, [a] but deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, the power and the glory forever. Amen”
Blessings,
Pastor Wanda