“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6, ESV)
A young man’s grandfather died. He often visited his grandparents during holidays and summer vacation. He had wonderful memories of the time he spent with them. The death hit him hard. The loss was keenly felt.
Not long after his grandfather died, the young man was invited to visit his grandfather’s factory before it was sold. Interested in learning more about his grandfather, he made the visit. At the small factory, a foreman gave a tour of the assembly floor. As the two perused the machines, several workers came forward to reassure the young man that his grandfather was greatly respected. One person said, “He went out of his way to be fair.” Another confided that the grandfather had helped his family overcome a tragedy. An older gentleman confided that the young man’s grandfather sacrificed profits, at times, to keep workers employed.
Then, the foreman took the young man toward the offices. Together, they saw the filing cabinets full of past orders, the desks of supervisors and office personnel, and even his grandfather’s own office desk and chair. As the man gently placed his hands on the back of his grandfather’s chair, tears starting to form. After a moment, the foreman asked, “Now, do you want to see the place your grandfather visited every morning before work?” Intrigued, the young man nodded and smiled. The young man considered this might be a secret to his grandfather’s success, a secret he might pursue himself. Wordlessly, the foreman led the young man to a closed off area of the offices. There was a door in one corner. The foreman opened the door and said, “This was the secret of his success! Every morning, your grandfather would come in here before work started, before everyone else arrived. He would pray every morning. Some days, he spent an hour here. There is his Bible. You really should take that.”
As tears came down his cheeks, the young man picked up the Bible, looked around the sparsely decorated place, and pondered to himself, “Was prayer time what made grandfather so successful? Was God my grandfather’s secret for success? I never knew how much he valued prayer. Why don’t I pray very much?”
Prayer changes you. Prayer alters your priorities, connects you with God, and tunes you in to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Prayer has calming effects. It can ease your mind and soothe your soul. Prayer with God is a two-way street. You may speak, or God may speak to you. There are people in this world who fake a prayer life. They may close their eyes to pray, fold their hands before mealtime, or tell others that they will remember them in prayer. However, they never do connect with God. Some don’t believe in the power of prayer. Some don’t believe God can speak to them. Some are too busy or frazzled or worldly to give themselves over to godly prayer. Prayer only brings benefits when you connect with God, open up to the Spirit, and give God the time to speak.
When teaching about prayer, Jesus mentioned some key points in Matthew 6. He taught those gathered that when praying, it is a good idea to “go into your room and shut the door”. This closes you off from the outside world and forces you to enter a time alone. Some people find it hard to be alone. They have a desire to be surrounded by others, receiving the accolades of adoring fans, or have a need to be constantly entertained. In the same way that some people cannot shut off their cell phone or step away from a life filled with luxuries, there are some who just cannot go off alone to be in prayer.
Some people may enjoy their “alone time” but still not benefit from prayer. Why, you ask? That answer is also found in the scripture for today. Jesus asked His followers not only to “go into a room and shut the door” to pray. He also asked them while in that room to “pray to your Father” in heaven. Pray “in secret”; not to appear religious to others, nor to be seen as “holier than thou”. That one-on-one time with God is where you bear your heart and soul. So, pray honestly. Pray earnestly. Don’t just spend time with yourself, spend time with the Heavenly Father! Only as you “pray to your Father in secret” will you find your “reward” (Matthew 6:6).
A very successful businessman came to see me. He wore a very expensive suit. His shoes cost more than a week of my salary! He and his wife were very active in the church. He was a good giver and a supporter of mission work. His adult children were active in the church. His grandchildren were amazingly successful in both school and sports. It seemed this man had it all. I expected our conversation to be about something he wanted to give to the church. Instead, not long after our conversation began, the man began to come apart.
My counselor’s eyes noticed the following as we spoke together. His hands shook. His eyes seemed hyper-alert. He was nervous. He fidgeted. His voice seemed to be filled with a tenseness I hadn’t heard before. Fifteen minutes into the conversation, I just blurt out what God wanted me to say, “Friend, I can see your soul is not at ease. I can see something is wrong. What is it?”
At first, the man was surprised at my words. I’m sure he was accustomed to appearing “in control”. While in board meetings, he probably appeared as a bastion of calm security. However, God was telling me there was something brewing in his heart and soul. It didn’t take long to find out what was eating at his calm. Over an hour, I learned out that the man never went on vacation, left most of the “family stuff” to his wife, and was almost solely focused on his business. I asked the man “How often do you pray?” He mentioned that he prayed in church, before bed, and before meals. So, I pushed him further, questioning, “So what is God saying to you lately?” At that question, his face became quizzical. He had no answers.
It wasn’t like this successful man to be without the perfect words, without the right attitude, without his “business calm”. But my question had altered his thinking. I asked again, “I mean it. What is God saying to you lately?” The man only could reply, “I’m not sure I can answer that.”
We read Matthew 6 together. We talked about its meaning. Over the next two months, I put the man on a prescription of daily prayer. However, instead of having him spend time actively finding the words to say to God, I asked him to listen to God for a full five minutes each day, then talk with God out loud for fifteen minutes thereafter. He looked at me like I was crazy. Then, he said, “Someone might hear me! They’ll think I’m crazy or something!” I urged him to go find a quiet place where nobody is liable to overhear. I asked him to talk with God there, alone. I asked him to open himself up and let go of his need to be in charge. I asked him to let God lead the conversation.
At first, he thought I was crazy to expect God to just speak to him. But over two months and several conversations, he began to get “feelings” while praying. New thoughts and ideas came to mind. He felt less stressed and more able to let down his guard. He even found himself listening more to his family. He was also able to perceive more things among his co-workers.
At the end of two months, I jotted down a few things in my notes of our last counseling session. He no longer fidgeted. He smiled more often. He seemed more at ease. When I mentioned this to him, he smiled and said, “I’ve noticed”. I asked him, “And I’m sure you’ve figured out what all this prayer is doing?” He answered, “You mean what God is doing!” At that point, I knew he no longer needed my counseling. He got it. He understood what Jesus meant in Matthew 6.
Are you able to pray alone with God the Father and in the name of Jesus? Do you spend time listening for the Spirit while praying? Are you honest with God about your motives and mistakes and hopes and needs? Maybe it would benefit you to have more alone-time with God. Maybe you need to find that perfect place where it’s just you and the Father. What is God saying to YOU lately?
Not long after his grandfather died, the young man was invited to visit his grandfather’s factory before it was sold. Interested in learning more about his grandfather, he made the visit. At the small factory, a foreman gave a tour of the assembly floor. As the two perused the machines, several workers came forward to reassure the young man that his grandfather was greatly respected. One person said, “He went out of his way to be fair.” Another confided that the grandfather had helped his family overcome a tragedy. An older gentleman confided that the young man’s grandfather sacrificed profits, at times, to keep workers employed.
Then, the foreman took the young man toward the offices. Together, they saw the filing cabinets full of past orders, the desks of supervisors and office personnel, and even his grandfather’s own office desk and chair. As the man gently placed his hands on the back of his grandfather’s chair, tears starting to form. After a moment, the foreman asked, “Now, do you want to see the place your grandfather visited every morning before work?” Intrigued, the young man nodded and smiled. The young man considered this might be a secret to his grandfather’s success, a secret he might pursue himself. Wordlessly, the foreman led the young man to a closed off area of the offices. There was a door in one corner. The foreman opened the door and said, “This was the secret of his success! Every morning, your grandfather would come in here before work started, before everyone else arrived. He would pray every morning. Some days, he spent an hour here. There is his Bible. You really should take that.”
As tears came down his cheeks, the young man picked up the Bible, looked around the sparsely decorated place, and pondered to himself, “Was prayer time what made grandfather so successful? Was God my grandfather’s secret for success? I never knew how much he valued prayer. Why don’t I pray very much?”
Prayer changes you. Prayer alters your priorities, connects you with God, and tunes you in to the voice of the Holy Spirit. Prayer has calming effects. It can ease your mind and soothe your soul. Prayer with God is a two-way street. You may speak, or God may speak to you. There are people in this world who fake a prayer life. They may close their eyes to pray, fold their hands before mealtime, or tell others that they will remember them in prayer. However, they never do connect with God. Some don’t believe in the power of prayer. Some don’t believe God can speak to them. Some are too busy or frazzled or worldly to give themselves over to godly prayer. Prayer only brings benefits when you connect with God, open up to the Spirit, and give God the time to speak.
When teaching about prayer, Jesus mentioned some key points in Matthew 6. He taught those gathered that when praying, it is a good idea to “go into your room and shut the door”. This closes you off from the outside world and forces you to enter a time alone. Some people find it hard to be alone. They have a desire to be surrounded by others, receiving the accolades of adoring fans, or have a need to be constantly entertained. In the same way that some people cannot shut off their cell phone or step away from a life filled with luxuries, there are some who just cannot go off alone to be in prayer.
Some people may enjoy their “alone time” but still not benefit from prayer. Why, you ask? That answer is also found in the scripture for today. Jesus asked His followers not only to “go into a room and shut the door” to pray. He also asked them while in that room to “pray to your Father” in heaven. Pray “in secret”; not to appear religious to others, nor to be seen as “holier than thou”. That one-on-one time with God is where you bear your heart and soul. So, pray honestly. Pray earnestly. Don’t just spend time with yourself, spend time with the Heavenly Father! Only as you “pray to your Father in secret” will you find your “reward” (Matthew 6:6).
A very successful businessman came to see me. He wore a very expensive suit. His shoes cost more than a week of my salary! He and his wife were very active in the church. He was a good giver and a supporter of mission work. His adult children were active in the church. His grandchildren were amazingly successful in both school and sports. It seemed this man had it all. I expected our conversation to be about something he wanted to give to the church. Instead, not long after our conversation began, the man began to come apart.
My counselor’s eyes noticed the following as we spoke together. His hands shook. His eyes seemed hyper-alert. He was nervous. He fidgeted. His voice seemed to be filled with a tenseness I hadn’t heard before. Fifteen minutes into the conversation, I just blurt out what God wanted me to say, “Friend, I can see your soul is not at ease. I can see something is wrong. What is it?”
At first, the man was surprised at my words. I’m sure he was accustomed to appearing “in control”. While in board meetings, he probably appeared as a bastion of calm security. However, God was telling me there was something brewing in his heart and soul. It didn’t take long to find out what was eating at his calm. Over an hour, I learned out that the man never went on vacation, left most of the “family stuff” to his wife, and was almost solely focused on his business. I asked the man “How often do you pray?” He mentioned that he prayed in church, before bed, and before meals. So, I pushed him further, questioning, “So what is God saying to you lately?” At that question, his face became quizzical. He had no answers.
It wasn’t like this successful man to be without the perfect words, without the right attitude, without his “business calm”. But my question had altered his thinking. I asked again, “I mean it. What is God saying to you lately?” The man only could reply, “I’m not sure I can answer that.”
We read Matthew 6 together. We talked about its meaning. Over the next two months, I put the man on a prescription of daily prayer. However, instead of having him spend time actively finding the words to say to God, I asked him to listen to God for a full five minutes each day, then talk with God out loud for fifteen minutes thereafter. He looked at me like I was crazy. Then, he said, “Someone might hear me! They’ll think I’m crazy or something!” I urged him to go find a quiet place where nobody is liable to overhear. I asked him to talk with God there, alone. I asked him to open himself up and let go of his need to be in charge. I asked him to let God lead the conversation.
At first, he thought I was crazy to expect God to just speak to him. But over two months and several conversations, he began to get “feelings” while praying. New thoughts and ideas came to mind. He felt less stressed and more able to let down his guard. He even found himself listening more to his family. He was also able to perceive more things among his co-workers.
At the end of two months, I jotted down a few things in my notes of our last counseling session. He no longer fidgeted. He smiled more often. He seemed more at ease. When I mentioned this to him, he smiled and said, “I’ve noticed”. I asked him, “And I’m sure you’ve figured out what all this prayer is doing?” He answered, “You mean what God is doing!” At that point, I knew he no longer needed my counseling. He got it. He understood what Jesus meant in Matthew 6.
Are you able to pray alone with God the Father and in the name of Jesus? Do you spend time listening for the Spirit while praying? Are you honest with God about your motives and mistakes and hopes and needs? Maybe it would benefit you to have more alone-time with God. Maybe you need to find that perfect place where it’s just you and the Father. What is God saying to YOU lately?