“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.”

As an introvert, I love this verse that give us some instruction from Jesus on how we should pray.  If I can go in a quiet room and this helps me pray better, sign me up.  If I can close the door and keep the rest of the world out and this helps me be closer to my Heavenly Father, count me in.  If I can go to a secluded place and leave a world of distractions behind me and this pleases God, I want that. 

As someone who enjoys time away from the busy world around me, I love this verse.

My problem is that it’s easy for me to miss the point of Jesus’ message here.  It’s easy for me go into a room, close the door behind me, and bring a world of distractions in with me.  It’s easy for me to close the door behind me and still hear the world on the other side. 

It’s not always easy to find a quiet place, and if I’m honest, it is often very difficult.  If we want to honor Jesus’ message here, we need to close the door.  Whether it is physical or perhaps a state of mind, if we want to maintain a healthy prayer life, we have to close the door.  We must seek the posture of prayer that Jesus instructions us to find as we engage in conversations with our Heavenly Father. 

There are a few things I believe we find when we close the door:
·      A focused audience.  When we are alone with God, there is no temptation that our prayers are targeting the right audience.  Whether intentional or unintentional, when we are around others, they are factored into our audience.  Focus on God.
·      Simplicity.  When we speak to God without a world of distraction and business around us, it’s simpler.  When it’s just God and us and we are not influenced by the world around us, its simpler.  Our motivation is pure, and our conversation is real. 
·      Honesty.  When we speak to God and only God, we can share things that we may never share with any other audience.  Our prayer can be real and honest.

If we want to honor God with our prayer, we have to figure out how to find the quiet place where we will encounter God in a way that brings greater intimacy and inspires greater impact.

As we face a new reality amidst COVID-19, I know that my prayer with God will be at its best as I am able to find those moments when I can close the door (whether literal or with a state of mind) and put myself alone in prayer with God. 

This year we invite you to be diligent in prayer and when you do, “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.”