Rev. Ray and Pat Amos

Matthew 6:6

THOUGHT FOR TODAY

“But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father in the secret place; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.”

Moving from a large house to a smaller one makes you appreciate closet space. Regardless of the size of our dwelling, the soul doesn’t change. There is room in the inner closet that is made for our communion with God. Have we kept it clean and welcoming for our Savior and Lord, or do we need to do some housecleaning and throw a few things out?

“But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father in the secret place; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.” (Matthew 6:6)

Matthew records the Sermon on the Mount as Jesus’ first sit down meeting with the new recruits (disciples). He did not say to them, “If you pray,” but “WHEN YOU PRAY.” It is expected that those who follow Christ will pray.

Enter your closet and shut the door. The closet (or inner room) is the place where we can get alone with God. To shut the door is to shut out all distractions (Do you think He might tell us to leave the phone outside the door?)

I know that the closet was not like the modern closets in our homes but let me stretch this just a bit. I also know that many closets are packed (and piled) so full that there is no room for us to get in. I’m simply saying that many of us cannot obey Jesus’ command because our lives, hearts and minds are too full of stuff. The place of prayer needs a good cleaning out from time to time.

We all need our time of being alone with God. We may be with many people talking in public, but there is a difference when someone asks, “Can we talk?” How much more this is true when we move from public prayer to personal prayer. To be alone with God means we take off our mask that we use to hide our sins, hurts, and feelings. We are the “little me” before the great “I AM.” In the closet we talk it over, My Lord and me.

Do you remember this song? “How long has it been since you talked with the Lord, and told him your heart’s hidden secrets? How long since you prayed? How long since you stayed on your knees till the light shone through?”

Grace and Peace, Rev Ray

Link to Youtube – Sing Along with How long has it been