Prayer Closet

Devotional for February 18

Prayer Closet

“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” – Matthew 6:6

When I was a child, one of my favorite activities was rearranging my bedroom. I would shift each piece of furniture, sometimes a little and sometimes a lot. Often, I would fix it in such a way that there was a little space here or there that could be my “reading corner.” With a few pillows, the appropriate stuffed animals to carefully listen, and a blanket to curl up with, an inviting place to read was awaiting only one thing: a reader.

Despite my love for a good reading corner, I actually found that I did most of my reading elsewhere. In fact, there were very few places I did not read. I would read walking down the hall, lying on my bed, on the couch with my family, even at a professional basketball or baseball game. (Yes, I did get teased appropriately for that!) Having a designated place did not discourage reading throughout the day, whenever and wherever I had a moment. And I did not read just because I was supposed to; I read because I loved to, because I was curious, and because it was habit.

Jesus directed His disciples to go to their closets—a place of privacy—to pray. There is no indication that He intended this to be a “prayer closet” along the lines of my old “reading corners,” but there is something to be said for having a set-aside place (and time) to be with our Father. Our focus can be strengthened by regularity, and privacy and solitude deepen our intimacy with Him.

Just as my love for reading was not limited to my specially set-aside places, so our prayer lives should also extend into all areas of our lives. We may start the day in a regular place as part of our routine, and be propelled into “praying without ceasing” no matter where we are throughout the rest of the day. Though we discipline ourselves to pray at certain times, a love for conversation with our Father is constantly growing. We pray to venture deeper into the heart of God, to enter into the mystery and to wonder at the majesty of all that He is. And we pray because it is what we know to do—our first natural response to circumstances in life.

No matter where or when we pray, we can rejoice in the simplicity of prayer—connecting with our Creator anytime, anywhere, and knowing that He will answer.