February 19, 2023

Matthew 6: 6 “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (NIV)

We must become so quiet of heart and spirit that we can sense His presence.*

If we tried to understand this verse alone and apart from any other of Jesus’ words or actions, we would be sure to misinterpret what Jesus was telling his disciples. Previous to issuing this command, Jesus warned his listeners about the dangers of doing your “acts of righteousness” before men. He was not pronouncing a prohibition against praying out loud in public, just against showing off. Indeed, in the gospels, we find Jesus praying both privately and publicly. And he didn’t own an actual closet himself - so what did he mean?

Prayer is a conversation with the Father, and just like human conversations, there are variations in methods and purpose. We tend to use prayer as a means to ask God for stuff and there are human interactions that follow similar patterns. Public prayer is like the conversations that occur in a group – the subject matter tends to be more general in nature in order to connect with the majority of the people. The best conversations are the personal, private, one-on-one encounters with a good friend. Without face-time, the friendship becomes weak from neglect.  And the best prayers are the ones that deepen our relationship with the Father.

Jesus didn’t establish any rules about when and how often we should enter into this prayer closet. If he had, the legalists among us would follow the rules to the letter and be judgmental of those who didn’t. And we would miss the point of praying. We must be intentional in maintaining any relationship, but who wants a friend who spends time with us according to a strict schedule? Is it a friendship or is it a duty? Where is the spontaneity? Where is the joy in each other’s company?

Jesus said that the Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward us. He doesn’t specify what that reward is but the clues point to this: getting to know God. There is nothing more rewarding than spending time with him, learning to talk to him without asking for anything except for the joy of his company. After all, Jesus said that the Father knows what we need before we ask him (Matthew 6: 8), so why not move on to the next level in your relationship with him?

“I have wonderful things in store for your life but first you must seek my heart.”*