When You Pray
“But you, 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
Jesus warned against practising your righteousness before men to be noticed by them. The concern is about the intention of the heart.
Prayer is a conversation with God, not a show for the people around us. There is public corporate prayer and prayer with family and friends, which should be a separate matter than this warning is against.
There is this phrase that makes a good point – ‘Seven days without prayer makes one weak’, and this is very true.
In our fast-paced and hectic days, it is easy to get so busy that our time for prayer suffers, yet this is to our own detriment.
Some start their day with prayer while others close the day with prayer in preparation for the coming day. Others take time to pray throughout their days, whichever you choose, avoid the shopping list syndrome where a list of wants or needs is presented before making a quick exit.
Keep this time private with God. Look back on the day and see if you can find times when His hand moved through events in your life and the lives of others and give him thanks.
It is a privilege to be able to go to Him with anything from concerns to celebrations. He wants to hear from us. We are His children. The Father loves us enough to send His Son to die for us. The Son loved us enough to go to the cross in our place.
“But certainly God has heard me; He has attended to the voice of my prayer.” Psalm 66:19