Praying In The Secret Place
Getting away from distractions for silence and solitude to pray alone with the Lord
In a previous newsletter we were taught about prayer by watching the Master, and one of the observations was that He was alone much in praying. Matthew 14:23 - And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up on the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone…or Luke 6:12 - In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.
By Himself, To Pray
Alone is often how Jesus prayed, and this was the first lesson He taught — that when praying, get alone. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. Matthew 6:6.
Secret prayer, by yourself, in your room — or as some versions put it: your closet, the closed place, where we are shut in alone with God, where the human spirit waits upon an unseen Presence, learns to recognize Him who is a Spirit, and cultivates His acquaintance, fellowship, and friendship. (A.T. Pierson)
It is there that all is silence, secrecy, solitude and seclusion. 1 All else is shut out, worldly noises and distractions, and we are shut in with God.
Silence in order that we may focus on speaking to God in prayer.
Secrecy that we may meet with Him who sees in secret and is best seen in secret.
Solitude that we may be only in His presence and not distracted by any others.
Seclusion is where we learn to draw near and he rewards those who seek Him (Hebrews 11:6).
In the secret, in the quiet place
In the stillness You are there.
In the secret, in the quiet hour I wait,
Only for You,’cause I want to know you more. 2
One of the basic purposes of praying is that being in the secret place with God will keep us in close fellowship with our heavenly Father. A study of the saints of old will show one common theme among them was being in close fellowship with God in prayer. Moses, Elijah, and Daniel are but a few examples. Besides Jesus, we see Paul often in prayers for those to whom he was writing.
There are plenty of reasons to pray with others, but this should not replace praying alone. Our secret time in prayer should precede any public time, and we should be often in private prayer more than group prayer.
What is the Reward?
Jesus taught the Father who sees in secret will reward you. With what? Perhaps it’s His hearing our prayers; or it is seeing those prayers answered; perhaps it is knowing His presence; or being mature and standing firm in all His will; possibly that those who ask, seek, and knock it will be given, they will find and to them the door will be opened.
Keeping in prayer keeps us steadfast in faith, and keeps us in peace that passes understanding. Fellowship with the Lord—His nearness, is itself a reward. And, ultimately, Jesus is the answer and the reward to our prayers. Greater than getting what we seek or ask, we get Jesus! What other reward would be greater?
Alone with Thee, amid the mystic shadows,
The solemn hush of nature newly born;
Alone with Thee in breathless adoration,
In the calm dew and freshness of the morn.3
We often have difficulty shutting out noises from the world outside, but also from within. To shut out the sounds from outside, like dogs, mowers—or even other sounds in our home, we might use some ear protection head gear, like those worn at a shooting range or construction zone.
For shutting off the thoughts in our own heads, or wandering thoughts, we try to use a Psalm, a hymn or song, or just quiet instrumental music. It’s helpful to have a playlist handy and take a break in prayer to read or listen. This can return our thoughts to the task at hand by fixing our mind on things above and not on those below.
Did Jesus say only pray in secret?
In Matthew 6:5-8, Jesus drew a distinction between praying in public verses praying in private. He did not condemn the one and command the other. This passage is about the reason we are praying--the why, not simply about the where we do it. If our praying is "to be seen" praying, then that is selfish praying. Even in private prayers we can be selfish, which is focusing on our wants, not His will. Instead, believers ought to be in selfless prayer always, whether alone or with others.
Until Monday, grace and peace
DIVINE EFFICACY OF PRAYER By Rev. Arthur T. Pierson, D.D.
In The Secret In The Quiet Place, written by Andy Park
Still, Still with Thee, Harriet Beecher Stowe, in Henry Ward Beecher's Plymouth Collection, 1855
Photo by Austin Mabe on Unsplash