Matthew 6:8-9

⁸Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.h

⁹Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.i

Matthew 6 forms the heart of Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, shifting from the Beatitudes and ethical teachings to the inner life of devotion. Jesus directly addresses three core practices of Jewish piety — giving, prayer, and fasting — warning against performing them for public approval. The chapter