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Prayer in the Secret Place

Matthew 6: 5 - 7

5 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the [a]hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you [b]openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

Prayer should be a personal and intimate time with our Father in heaven. I believe that in many ways we have become too accustomed to “church prayers”. In church someone leads in prayer and we bow our heads and close our eyes in agreement.  This is one type of prayer, but it was never meant to be our primary source of communication with God.  Jesus warns that these “church prayers” can even become sinful if we allow pride to rise up.  Then the prayer is no longer centered on God, but on man.

Jesus tells us the core of what our daily prayers should look like.  “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door , pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”