Monday February 23rd: Serving Christ in others
February 23, 2026
Wednesday February 25th: The sign of Jonah
February 25, 2026
“For they think they will be heard because of their many words.”
Matthew 6:7-15
Jesus wasn’t forbidding long prayers (He often prayed all night); he was forbidding mindless prayers. We say the words of the “Our Father,” but is our mind actually thinking about a work email format? We can say the “right” words (like the “babbling” pagans), but if our tone is “talking down,” the heart’s true state of pride is what people actually hear.
This scripture serves as a profound recalibration of the human heart. Jesus reminded us that prayer isn’t a transactional performance.
The reflection here is one of balance: we are called to prioritize God’s holiness and sovereignty before our own lists. “Daily bread,” we learn the discipline of trust—relying on God for today without the anxiety of tomorrow. The “forgiveness,” suggests that our spiritual health is closely linked to our horizontal relationships. We cannot truly breathe in God’s grace if we are suffocating others with our resentment.
Ultimately, this scripture passage teaches that prayer is not about changing God’s mind, but about allowing God to change ours.
