Your Father knoweth - An encouragement to ask in prayer

Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. (Matthew 6:8) *1/ Our Lord teaching by showing what we should **not** be like. 2/ Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of. 3/ An encouragement to **ask** in our prayers.* **Sermon Summary:** The sermon centers on the comforting truth that God, as our Father, already knows our deepest needs before we ask, encouraging believers to approach Him with confident, heartfelt prayer rather than relying on lengthy or performative rituals. Drawing from Matthew 6:8, it contrasts vain, repetitive prayers with the authentic, simple petitions of the faithful, using biblical examples like the publican's humble cry and the Lord's teaching in the Sermon on the Mount to emphasize genuine dependence on God. The message underscores that true prayer is not about eloquence or quantity, but about recognizing our spiritual poverty and seeking divine provision—especially for eternal things like grace, faith, and the Holy Spirit—while trusting that God's answers often precede our requests. Ultimately, the sermon calls believers to ask boldly, to watch for God's answers as tokens of His presence, and to find joy and assurance in the knowledge that their Father, through Christ's atonement, is both willing and able to meet every need.