What Happens When You Close the Door and Meet With God

by Tim Howington (the When You series, Part 3)

Have you ever wondered what Moses and God talked about in their nightly ritual of the descending Shekinah glory in the wilderness? Each evening God would descend, and the nation of Israel would stand at their tents while Moses spoke face to face with God as one does with a friend.

Now Moses used to take the tent and pitch it outside the camp, a good distance from the camp, and he called it the tent of meeting. And everyone who sought the Lord would go out to the tent of meeting which was outside the camp. And it came about, whenever Moses went out to the tent, that all the people would arise and stand, each at the entrance of his tent, and gaze after Moses until he entered the tent. Whenever Moses entered the tent, the pillar of cloud would descend and stand at the entrance of the tent; and the Lord would speak with Moses. When all the people saw the pillar of cloud standing at the entrance of the tent, all the people would arise and worship, each at the entrance of his tent. Thus the Lord used to speak to Moses face to face, just as a man speaks to his friend. When Moses returned to the camp, his servant Joshua, the son of Nun, a young man, would not depart from the tent. (Exodus 33:7-11)

Or what about the interaction that was between Son, Father, and Holy Spirit when Jesus slipped away to pray? (Mark 1:35)

For years now, I have been attempting to memorize the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5, 6, 7).  I get stuck in the same place every time (this is my 5^th or 6^th try)- Matthew 6.  I cruise through Matthew 5 with the beatitudes and then the “you have heard it was said-but I say to you” section. Then get distracted by the three pillars of secrecy- almsgiving, prayer, and fasting. For some reason, these are so interesting to me. Maybe it is the secret part. I mean, who doesn’t love a good secret?

I’ve titled this series of articles the When You Series.  Jesus says, when you give to the poor, when you pray, and later when you fast.

Today we address secret prayer.

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. “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. “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words. “So do not be like them; for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him. (Matthew 6:5-8, NASB)

Lots of moving parts in this passage. Let’s talk about them.

Don’t Pray for Show

The first section talks about not being like the hypocrites who don’t care about actual praying to God but rather putting on a display to look spiritual before men.

Don’t Pray for Superstitious Reasons

The last section talks about the Gentiles who felt that meaningless repetitions were the way to garner God’s attention. Kinda like the kid who keeps saying mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy, mommy until they wear down their mother into paying them mind. But the passage says don’t do that, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Pray in Secret

But the middle section is really the focal point for us today. “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.”

What strikes me most in this section is the meticulous detail Jesus gives about where to pray.

• Go into your inner room
• Close the door
• Pray to your Father who is in secret

And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.  I wonder what that means. Do you get the request answered? Do you get a special relationship with God? Do you get secret access to him? Or is the reward a secret?

I am still working it out, but here are some things I am learning about secret prayer

• There really is something about having a secret room closed off to the rest of the world.  The picture in this article shows the door between my office and my reception area. When you close that door, there is separation. Separation from my work life and prayer life. The place is much more important than I previously thought.
• What do you pray about in secret areas? The text does not say, but I like to think that you pray about secret things. Things that matter to you. I am experimenting with the idea of not taking anyone else’s request in. Just a space for my own secret thoughts, struggles, and desires. By not taking others in, time is focused.
• Important to keep the world out. This is represented by my phone. That tool is good for a lot of things. And it helps me stay focused and organized in my life. But it is a D-I-S-T-R-A-C-T-I-O-N in my prayer closet.  I have made a rule- NO PHONE IN THE SECRET PLACE.

Could the Reward be Rest?

I think one outcome of secret prayer is rest and restoration. You might say the fellowship of secret prayer. And who doesn’t need rest?  Rest of the body.  Rest of the soul. Consider these two passages.

“Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” (Matthew 11:28-30)

The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters. He restores my soul; He guides me in the paths of righteousness for His name’s sake. (Psalms 23:1-3)

I am a rookie at secret prayer, so I will stop there.  Maybe I will write more as I learn more. Find yourself a prayer closet and try it out.

Next time, we will talk about the prayer Jesus recommends for secret prayer.

twh