That Secret Place of Prayer

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

As you read Matthew 6:5-6, you find yourself in the middle of the Lord’s Sermon on the Mount. The subject that Jesus is preaching on in these verses is PRAYER!

I think it’s real interesting to note that Moses in the Law didn’t give command or regulation in regard to prayer, and even the prophets say little when it comes to the direct duty of prayer. So then how fitting is it that the revelation of a prayer-life is found in the message of the Lord Jesus Christ! I think it’s awesome…“Lord, teach us to pray”!

We see from the Lord’s message that prayer is expected AND anticipated. In verses 5 and 6 we read the repeated words from Christ “when thou prayest”. So it’s not, “IF you pray”, but it’s “WHEN you pray”! The relationship we have with our Lord requires us to pray because our God desires from us communion with Him.

Now a good teacher needs a classroom, wherever that may be. And if the Lord will be our Teacher and if He will teach us to pray, He too needs a classroom: “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet“ (vs6). God wants us to find a fixed spot – a private place – where we can daily meet with Him! That spot may be anywhere…It may change from day to day…But what CANNOT change is that we have a daily quiet time in which we place ourselves in His presence!

DO YOU HAVE THIS TIME WITH GOD DAILY or DOES THIS LACK WITH YOU?

Many of you – and I – truly believe that the Bible is the Truth, that it is the very Words of God. It is not hard to believe that we have the Truth, but what is hard is being faithful with the Truth! What’s lacking with us?

We hear of other beliefs that we would label pagan and not of God, but those followers of false gods will be devout and pray 3 to 5 times every day! They’ll stop what they’re doing and make their time in prayer an important time of their day and life. But for many a Christian, he will not even have a daily, secret place of prayer and quiet time with the True God and Saviour. Again I must ask: WHAT’S LACKING WITH US?

It just might be that we really don’t see why God calls us to the closet! Other beliefs are devout in communing with their gods…but why does the Only True and Living God call us to a secret place of prayer daily?

I. Because that’s where we’ll have His Presence!

How many times in verse 6 alone is “thy Father” mentioned? It’s repeated twice by Jesus, so it must be important for us to know!

You’re prayer closet ought never to be dark…because the Light of His Presence should shine forth!

You’re approach into your prayer closet ought never to be dull…because every petition and every praise will be from a child unto the Father!

Your attitude must be “I must meet my Father”! This ought to be our daily desire!

WHY does God call us to the closet?

II. Because that’s where we’ll have our Privacy!

vs6 – “…and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret”

God is One who hides Himself from the carnal eye, and He calls us to a “separation” from the world and from all the things going on around us so we can have that 1-on-1 time with Him! Just think about THAT…alone with God…why don’t we, or why wouldn’t we, take advantage of that?

WHY does God call us to a secret place of prayer daily?

III. Because that’s where we’ll find our Prosperity!

vs6 – “…and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly“

James says, “Ye have not because ye ask not”! Why don’t we see the Mighty Hand of God move in magnificent ways? Our closets are empty therefore making our lives and service empty! Remember in Hebrews 11:6, “…and He is a rewarder of them that diligently…” We can have prosperity in God’s Will from the prayer closet because we’re trusting and giving over all our needs to the great love and power of our Heavenly Father!

Do YOU have a secret place of prayer? Do you have a daily quiet time alone with God? Why wouldn’t we when in “the closet” we will find God’s Presence, a “1-on-1″ Private time alone with Him, and true prosperity in His Will?