“Private Prayer – Public Reward”
But 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.
Matthew 6:6
I love my early morning times with the Father in the secret place. He and I enjoy some of the sweetest times together. Recently I moved my office across the street from our church to nearby house we bought to help expand our facilities until we can raise the money to relocate. I have only been this new office for about two weeks and I already love it. What I love about it is the fact that I have already had some very significant encounters with the Lord in this place. It is my new secret place. I arose early this morning to come here before the day got started. It was a grand time of communion with my Father.
Far too many believers are content to pray petite prayers, many of which are prayed publicly. God is not only inviting us but also calling us to a life devoted to prayer in isolation from the rest of the world. He wants to hear those desires of our hearts and He wants to speak to us. There are conversations that take place through prayer in the secret place that the rest of the world may be unaware of, but God takes notice.
I love getting up early, closing the door behind me in this private sanctuary, and meeting with God through scripture reading, private pleadings, and fervent intercessions for those I love. Nobody knows what takes place in those times together except the Lord and me. It is the best part of my day, the highlight I look forward to and often I am very reluctant to leave when I am pulled away by other responsibilities. I love the inner room, my secret place, and prayer closet to fellowship with the Father in.
Do you have such a place? The physical location is not nearly as important as having a place you have designated to meet God, making it sacred. I have three such spots; the one I use most is my office. As I mentioned earlier, I love this new office because the Lord has already begun sanctify this little nook with His infinite presence. There is another place that is dear to my heart - I call it my prayer cabin. Oh, how I have met with God in that little rustic cabin. At all costs, find a place where you are going to meet with God in secret over these next forty days and beyond.
The word “secret” in this passage means concealed, private, hidden. We must conceal ourselves alone with God for extended periods of time to ask Him for His help. Time spent in the secret place seeking the Lord is not time that is wasted. It is an investment of our time and we shall be rewarded.
The word “reward” means to give back, restore. God gives us His blessings, presence, counsel, and miracles in response to time spent in the secret place. We might be seeking Him in secret but His rewards very often come publicly as we have the opportunity to testify about God’s greatness and His power. I assure you He longs to do more for us, in us, and through us than any of us desire to ask Him for.
Do not wait any longer. Today is the building block on what we have looked at for the first two days. We must pray in faith. God rewards those who live by faith and seek Him. Now, we must set aside time, long sustained times, in the secret place to enjoy Him, to seek Him, to and ask Him for the things that burden our hearts. Conceal yourself in privacy for the purpose of a heart-to-heart talk with Jesus. It is just you and Him. You do not have use flowery language or pray with eloquence, all you need is to come to Him in sincerity, confess any known sin, and ask Him in faith for those things you are burdened over. The rest is up to Him.
Steps to Trust and Obey:
Before anything else, you need to establish a secret place and a designated time you will meet the Lord in that place.
Believe that your time spent in the secret place is time well invested.
Spend some time asking the Lord what He is saying to you. As He speaks, write down what you sense Him speaking to you.
Lay your requests before the Lord in detail.
Ask for increased faith and expectations that your prayers are not only being heard but that they will be answered as well.
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