Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly, MAT 6:16-18.

In other words, the posture of the heart is not concerned with what people think or with what recognition can be gained from other people; the motive of the heart must be that we are fasting before the Lord.

That motive is seen here: The godly principle Jesus is teaching is a religion, or posture of the heart, of brokenness before God and not self-exaltation before men. The Lord wants a proper fast in the way of brokenness.

First, He is showing how we must watch the posture of our heart when we give alms, in our attitude toward our fellow man, i.e., the second table of the law. The second part is a heart of Godliness in prayer. We need to see the harmony in these teachings, in the context in which they are given by the Lord.

Now He is also saying we must watch the posture of our heart in our attitude in prayer; using prayer to seek favorable recognition from men is the wrong attitude.

If one's goal is to receive honor, the reward is the honor and praise given by men. This kind of prayer does not please God. This is in harmony with our text on fasting. Are we doing this to be seen of men or are we seeking and searching before the Lord in private where others do not even realize we are going through a struggle?

The substance of godly prayer can be detected by its content. MAT 6:7-8 tells us, "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

We don't need a prayer of great repetitions; we don't need to put everyone on alert to pray about a certain thing. It is good, occasionally, to call a few individuals for prayer requests, but that is not like blowing a trumpet before ourselves as we stand and pray in public to be seen of men.

The Lord is so jealous that He wants us to pray in secret; we are to go into the closet and shut the door. That means to exclude ourselves from every other person, bringing ourselves to the Lord on a one to one basis. He wants prayer between Himself and our own soul.