Matthew 6:5-13 New American Standard Bible 1995
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners [a]so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.
7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. 8 So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
9 “Pray, then, in this way:
‘Our Father who is in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
11 ‘Give us this day [b]our daily bread.
12 ‘And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from [c]evil. [d][For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.’]
The Word of God for the Children of God.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost;
as it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end. Amen, amen.
Daddy’s Ear
Jesus invites his followers into an intimate love relationship with God the Father.
The privilege of that intimacy might best be seen in how Jesus teaches us to pray.
Though God is almighty and maintains the entire universe, he also attends to the prayers of his children.
Most citizens think of their president as the most powerful person in the nation.
Most would feel fortunate to get even a few minutes of his time.
But when one of his children calls, if he is a good dad, he’ll answer and listen.
They have an ear with the president that any CEO or political leader would envy.
They are the only one’s who can call him “Daddy.”
Their agenda is not national security or some international crisis.
Their access is based on the fact that he is their loving father, who always cares for them and wants what is best for them.
With us, God wants a relationship that is infinitely more caring and loving.
He has given his heart to us.
Jesus came to be one of us and to die so that we could live forever with God.
Our Father has made himself available to us anytime, anywhere. Almighty God is our loving Father, who is never too busy to hear the prayers of his beloved children. Do you have this kind of relationship with the God of the universe?
Do we ever, even take daily advantage to “tug” on our Heavenly Father’s ear?
Our private alone time with our Heavenly Father, does it even exist in our time?
What Is a Prayer Closet?
Matthew 6:5-6 Easy-to-Read Version
Jesus Teaches About Prayer
5 “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites. They love to stand in the synagogues and on the street corners and pray loudly. They want people to see them. The truth is, that’s all the reward they will get. 6 But when you pray, you should go into your room and close the door. Then pray to your Father. He is there in that private place. He can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.
Several years ago, there was a highly acclaimed movie that came out called “War Room,” which centered on the importance of the personal prayer closet.
If you haven’t seen it yet, I highly recommend renting it tonight and watching with your whole family!
In the movie, a woman is confronted with a crisis which forces her to get truly serious about her relationship with God, and to experience the power of prayer to change things.
She takes the King James Scripture translation literally (…when thou prayest, enter into thy closet…), and empties out her bedroom closet of clothes, shoes, jewelry and other personal items, and replaces them with a chair, post-it notes with Scriptures and family photos.
Thereafter, the movie revolves around her regular and routine visits to this prayer closet, now effectively transformed into a spiritual “war room,” where she fights with all she has against the enemy’s attack on her family.
I promise you that after you see this inspirational movie, you will consider cleaning out your closet.
But before you box up your coats and shoes, you should understand a few basic things about what a prayer closet is and what actually should happen there.
Where We Meet with God
With all due respect to the King James translation, most modern versions don’t use “closet” anymore, but rather “room,” “private room” or “inner room.”
The Greek word is tameion, which simply means an “inner storage chamber or secret room.”
https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/g5009/esv/mgnt/0-1
We might describe it today as a safety deposit box or vault. It describes that place where one’s most valuable possessions and treasure can be kept safe.
So Jesus is telling us in Matthew 6:6, we all need a place where we regularly and routinely meet with our most valued treasure in this life… our heavenly Father!
He is the One whose resources never run out or run dry, the One who can solve any problem we have and deliver us from every demonic attack.
There is nothing more treasured, valuable to us than our relationship with God.
Where We Become Vulnerable
Over time, this word translated as “closet” was used to describe a bedchamber where a husband and wife were able to be intimate.
The very act of disrobing makes a person vulnerable, exposed to their spouse.
So the idea of Matthew 6:6 also includes going to a place where we let down our guard before God, allow Him to examine our hearts, thoughts without shame.
Psalm 139:23-24 New American Standard Bible 1995
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any [a]hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
It’s a place where we cannot hide our hurts, it is a place where we cannot lie about our failures or even try to pretend before God to have all the answers.
Where We Change Clothes
King James’ residence in Edinburg, Scotland, is reported to have an interior room in the master bedroom.
Much like a large walk-in closet of today, it’s where the king changed his clothes.
So to extend the illustration, our “prayer closet” of Matthew 6:6 will be a place where we experience change; it’s where we go to remove the soiled rags of this life and be clothed in His righteous image and His spiritual armor.
We exchange clothes of fear for the shield of faith, clothes of confusion for the helmet of salvation, clothes of hurt, shame for the breastplate of righteousness.
Ultimately, the private time we spend with God in our “prayer closet” will pave the way for public success.
But Why Do We Need a “Prayer Closet”?
So by now it should be pretty clear that you don’t really need to hire an architect to redesign your bedroom closet.
The prayer closet is not as much about “place” as it is about attitude and commitment.
Your particular prayer closet could indeed be a cleaned-out closet, or a small guest room.
It could be the man cave or the she shed.
Perhaps it’s an attic or bonus room or a even a particular chair in the corner of the living room.
It can be wherever you chose to spend time with God in prayer, without the interruption of family or daily life.
So why should we select one, dedicated spot to become our “prayer closet”?
1. Sometimes, We Just Need to Shut the Door
Matthew 6:6 Easy-to-Read Version
6 But when you pray, you should go into your room and close the door. Then pray to your Father. He is there in that private place. He can see what is done in private, and he will reward you.
The real power of the prayer closet comes from claiming a space that you can inoffensively close off the entrance of others (children, pets, phone and social media notifications), invite the Holy Spirit to create the proper atmosphere and get quiet enough to hear His still, small voice speaking wisdom and direction.
It also protects you from being hushed by the unbelieving attitudes of others, as you stand and loudly declare in faith the promises of God over your situation. In short, behind closed doors make for a more powerful and successful prayer life.
Whether we realize it or not, one of the primary ways the enemy brings destruction into our lives is through constant interruptions and distraction in our pursuit of God. Any of this sound familiar?
– I would pray… but I’m exhausted trying to make ends meet.
– I would pray… but the kids keep pestering me.
– I would pray… but I really need to study.
– I would pray… but this business meeting just came up.
– I would pray… but my husband needs my attention.
– I would pray… but I have a deadline I just can’t miss.
– I would pray… but I don’t have enough time in the morning as it is.
– I would pray…but I must keep up with social media to stay relevant.
Short answer?
No, no, no… just no!
Actually, I must check in with my heavenly Father and get His power and wisdom for every task I need to accomplish in the day.
I need to confirm that He likes what I am doing, and that I get the inside scoop on what’s trending in Heaven.
I need to be filled with supernatural energy to perform with excellence in life, and to be a source of strength to my family and children. And to accomplish all of that, I must shut the door on every distraction when I go to God in prayer.
2. God Will Make Sure We Will Always Require, Need, Private Time with God.
Too often when we pray openly around other people, we become self-conscious and spend more time trying to impress them with our words, than we do truly pressing into God.
I’m reasonably sure you know exactly what I am talking about: those long and arduous prayers said in King James English… to bless the church potluck lunch!
These are the modern equivalent of the hypocrite’s prayers of Matthew 6:5.
True prayer is not a time to impress people – it’s meant to lock in and join forces with God; to wage war against an enemy which seeks our defeat and destruction -and as Jesus publicly said, it’s what we do in private that paves the way for what people will see in public.
One of my life mentors once told me,
“If you want the anointing on your life, make sure your private time in prayer exceeds your public time on the pulpit.”
I believe it’s the foundation of a Christian’s success in life, not just in ministry.
Here’s a little observation: it seems you can always tell who has a powerful prayer life, who doesn’t, simply by the fruit that is evidenced in their life! Selah.
Prayer is the spiritual discipline that is practiced in private, but the rewards are manifested in public.
It manifests in our character, our wisdom, our attitude, our blessings, our joy, our favor, our peace and our power!
Jesus said we need a “prayer closet” because that private place paves the way for our public success!
3. We Want to Know God’s Will for Our Lives
Psalm 139:23-24 New American Standard Bible 1995
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart;
Try me and know my anxious thoughts;
24 And see if there be any [a]hurtful way in me,
And lead me in the everlasting way.
Clearly, our loving heavenly Father has amazing things for each of us to do and experience in this life.
And if I were to ask, I believe everyone would want to know the results of that God search, so we can make appropriate decisions to cooperate with His will.
We know intuitively and from Scripture that God’s will for us is “good and acceptable and perfect,” so we really should do all we can to discern what His will is!
John 13:34-35 New American Standard Bible 1995
34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”
However, between us and the manifestation of God’s good plans there is a cross that we must bear.
Matthew 16:24-27 New American Standard Bible 1995
Discipleship Is Costly
24 Then Jesus said to His disciples, “If anyone wishes to come after Me, he must deny himself, and take up his cross and follow Me. 25 For whoever wishes to save his [a]life will lose it; but whoever loses his [b]life for My sake will find it. 26 For what will it profit a man if he gains the whole world and forfeits his soul? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? 27 For the Son of Man is going to come in the glory of His Father with His angels, and will then [c]repay every man according to his [d] deeds.
God’s good plans for us are often dependent on our denying ourselves and our doing things God’s way.
John 3:28-30 New American Standard Bible 1995
28 You yourselves [a]are my witnesses that I said, ‘I am not the [b]Christ,’ but, ‘I have been sent ahead of Him.’ 29 He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. So this joy of mine has been made full. 30 He must increase, but I must decrease.
What’s that look like for you? Is it…
– a habit you need to kick?
– an offense you need to forgive?
– a relationship you need to exit?
– a discipline you need to develop?
– an act of obedience you need to practice?
– a wound you need to allow God to heal?
What is it that is standing in the way of God’s will for your life?
And more importantly, how can you surrender your will in that area to God’s will, especially when everything in you doesn’t want to do it God’s way?
Surrender through prayer.
Run to that prayer closet, shut the door and ask God to do heart surgery on you so that you can say, “Not my will but Yours, Lord Jesus!”
It’s in that place that you will receive the supernatural help that you need to fight that battle and every future one that you face in life.
His supernatural help comes when I enter my prayer closet and meet with the Source of my strength, and the strength of my life – God, my Father!
In the name of God, the Father and God the Father and God the Holy Spirit,
Let us Pray,
Psalm 27:7-9 New American Standard Bible 1995
7 Hear, O Lord, when I cry with my voice,
And be gracious to me and answer me.
8 When You said, “Seek My face,” my heart said to You,
“Your face, O Lord, I shall seek.”
9 Do not hide Your face from me,
Do not turn Your servant away in anger;
You have been my help;
Do not abandon me nor forsake me,
O God of my salvation!
Thank you, Lord, for loving us and hearing our prayers. You are never too busy for your children. May we be as eager to pray as you are to listen and respond. Amen.
Loving God, Living God, Loving Hope, Living Hope, Loving Living Life His Way! "Many things are possible for the person who has hope. Even more is possible for the person who has faith. And still more is possible for the person who knows how to love. But everything is possible for the person who practices all three virtues." - Brother Lawrence (1605-1691), Practicing the Presence of God (1692). 