Praying in Secret to a Personal God

This sermon on Matthew 6:5–15 emphasizes that genuine Christian prayer flows from a personal relationship with God and must therefore be secret, sincere, and faith-filled. Jesus rejects both the showy prayers of hypocrites and the mechanical repetitions of the heathen, insisting instead that believers meet with God privately, without concern for impressing others, and speak to Him authentically rather than through scripted or thoughtless phrases. True prayer springs from confidence in God’s character—His omniscience, His care, and His desire to give good gifts—so Christians need not use “tricks” like excessive length or repeated formulas to get His attention. The sermon urges believers to cultivate a sacred “secret place,” repent of impersonal or rote prayer habits, remember that God is the true audience in public prayer, and relate to Him as a real Father and Friend who already knows their needs and delights to hear from them.