Whenever you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, because they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward. But when you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:5–6, CSB
Have you ever come across someone who just loved to hear themselves pray?
I remember as a kid, there were always a couple men in the church who’d drawl on and on in their prayers, peppered by numerous “thous” or “thees.” They were always the same ones who’d volunteer to pray every Sunday, and they were the only ones, besides the pastor, who’d be wearing a suit on Sunday. As a kid, I always sensed they were talking more to the congregation than to God Himself.
In the verses above, Jesus teaches us about the dangers of public praying—the danger of hypocrisy—of praying for show, of praying for the applause of man.
To avoid such temptation, Jesus tells us we should pray privately. “When you pray, go into your private room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret.” This is the verse from which we get the idea of a “prayer closet.” That’s because it’s how the King James Version originally translated it.
The point, specifically, is to find a place where we wouldn’t be tempted to perform for others. The point, more generally, is to find a place where we simply wouldn’t be distracted … for any reason. And so, whether it’s the specific sin of hypocrisy or the general problem of distraction, “Go into your private room, shut the door, and pray to your Father.”
Now, does this mean we need to create a literal “private room,”a prayer closet, like the one depicted several years ago in the Christian film, The War Room?
Maybe. But maybe not.
When we read the Bible, we always want to think about the intended meaning. I believe it’s this: Jesus is calling us to seek out a specific place for prayer that’s free from both temptation and distraction. A place where we can fully commit ourselves to both speaking and listening to the Lord. And because each person is different, this place is going to look different for each of us.
Jesus’ private room was usually on a mountain in the early morning hours, away from His disciples.
But my private room is our dining room table at 7am. As far as privacy goes, it’s really not all that private. But because our older kids are already off to school by that time, and because our younger ones are still asleep, it’s actually a pretty private environment for me.
Now, you might not have such a luxury. Your season of life might be different. But I’m confident you’ll still be able to find a regular place to meet with Him. It just might look different from mine. It might have to be at your office before you clock in. It might have to be on a walk around the neighborhood. It might have to be at a coffee shop with your noise-cancelling AirPods in your ears. It might have to be on your way home from work with the radio off. Or it might have to be at home, even with your kids running wild around you.
Susanna Wesley was a stay-at-home-mom, who raised 10 children from the home but still made time for the Lord each day. We’re told she would sit in her favorite kitchen chair, throw her apron up over her head, and then spend up to two hours in prayer each day. And all this took place while her kids worked and played around her. The children knew that when mom had that apron up over her head, she was in her prayer closet and that they had better not disrupt her or allow their siblings to disrupt her during her time with the Lord.
One has to ask what kind of influence such a commitment to prayer had upon her children. Well, history tells us. Susanna Wesley was the mother of John and Charles Wesley, two of the Church’s greatest evangelists.
Where does this leave us?
Maybe our hearts have been a bit impure. Maybe our environment has been a bit too distracting. Whatever the case may be, the Lord has called us into intimate, vulnerable, and honest conversation with Himself. Therefore, we need to make time for Him. But we also need to find a place, as free from distractions as possible, where we can do this.
Do you have a private room? If not, will you find one this week? And going there, will you shut the door—cutting off the distractions of the world—to just meet with Him?
For His Glory and Our Joy,
Scott Gourley
* This is part two of a four part series
Pillar Network Arizona 