DOOR OF PRIVACY IN PRAYER

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 – Matthew 6:6

The Lord Jesus had the habit of entering into His closet and shutting the door. His life and ministry demonstrated the PUBLIC POWER of PRIVATE PRAYER. His lifestyle of private praying was emphasized above His public prayer ministry; and the former was the platform for the latter. The Lord seldom prayed long public prayers (Lk. 7:14-15; 8:24, 54). The secret of His POWER in PUBLIC was PRAYER in PRIVATE (Lk. 5:16; 6:12; 9:18; Mk.1: 35; Mt.26: 36).

Jesus said “…When you pray, go into your INNER ROOM…SHUT YOUR DOOR, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will repay you” (Mt. 6:6 NAS). Prayer is not meant to be a public display or exhibition of how ‘spiritual’ we think we are. The intimate nature of our communication and communion with God demands that we get ALONE WITH GOD, away from all distractions, disruptions and interruptions. It is based on a Father-Child fellowship and calls for utmost privacy, with the world tightly shut out!

There is no ‘rocket science’ to this heart-driven fellowship with the Father. It is not about knowing how to use ‘Christian jargon’ and ‘spiritual slangs’ to try to impress God. You don’t need to be calculative about getting every word right because “…your Father knows what you need, before you ask Him” (Mt. 6:8 NAS); but you must ASK. He who heard the voiceless outburst from the depth of Hannah’s heart is listening to both your heart and words (1 Sam.1:9-18). The Lord is not grading you on how ‘spiritual’ your prayers sound or how well you express yourself. He sees beyond grammar!

Prayer can be likened to breathing. Breathing is done almost without a conscious effort or awareness. It is the natural result of our moment-by-moment dependence on Oxygen. Only a threat to breathing could become fatally obvious. That’s how God wants us to relate with Him. Prayer is the breath of the regenerated spirit; hence, the Lord could affirm that “men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Lk.18: 1). Paul also instructed: “Pray without ceasing” (1The.5: 17). Prayer is as vital to the human spirit and soul as physical breathing is to the body. It must be a lifestyle of unceasing ‘spiritual breathing’ every moment.

God designed the human being as a “praying being.” He wants prayer to be the air you breathe, and to saturate your spiritual environment. Degenerating into a prayerless season of life – however momentary – is a dangerous season to be in. Through prayer you can live in continuous communion with God. It is the believer’s communication hot-line with heaven, to deliberate with God on matters of destiny and eternal dimensions. That’s why you must hallow your prayer hours. You do not receive valued telephone calls in the noisy hustle-and-bustle of the marketplace. Rather, you’ll desperately find a quiet and private “inner room” to deliberate on matters that matter most to you!

Beloved, as you enter into your inner room, upper room, or tower of prayer, remember to SHUT the inner doors of your mind against all mental distractions (anxieties, cares of life, worries…) and the outer physical doors of your ears and surroundings – put off the mobile handset, take the land-line off its hook, disconnect the Internet, and switch off the TV, Video and the myriad of modern-day distractions!