Shut the Door
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 ESV
Shut the Door
As busy as life is
Most of us are familiar
With praying as we go about our day.
Alone in the car on the way to do errands.
A busy mom working in the kitchen.
Doing yard work alone.
These are all opportunities
To talk to Jesus
Like a Friend😊
About everything and everyone.
But today let’s talk about
A different approach.
Most of us are aware
Of our opening scripture today.
We know that Jesus
Criticized the religious leaders
Because they stood on the street corner
Praying loud☹
They thought that performance
Made them special☹
But Jesus
Was not impressed.
In fact, He was angry!
So, for us, these verses
Simply mean to not be religious
About our prayer time.
Shut the Door
Recently as I read a devotional
This scripture was brought to my attention.
There is a special element
That I am not sure
I had fully grasped before.
Today I would like to
Expound on that devotional.
Give you food for thought😉
As always…
What you do with it
Is up to you.
Shut the Door
Do you have a place of prayer?
Is there a scheduled time of prayer for you?
Now I ask the question in point.
Do you shut the door?!
Is your phone in a different room?
Did you pick a place
That everyone in your life understands
Means prayer for you?
Probably the most difficult part
Is do you shut the door
In your mind?
Forget your To Do List.
Forget your personal wants.
Forget Your stuff!
Shut the Door
That text message can wait.
The office will call back.
Podcasts will still be there.
If you train your children well😉
They will only interrupt in an emergency.
They may come sit with you
While you talk to Jesus
But they will have been taught
Not to interrupt.
The dishes will still be there😉
The errands can be done later.
Your basic responsibilities can wait.
No really!
I am serious!
We are not so important☹
That the world will stop revolving.
Shut the Door
You are creating space.
We have an invitation of a lifetime😉
An Divine Appointment with the Almighty!
Sit in the quiet.
No music.
No distraction.
No interruptions.
Let us give Jesus our undivided attention.
Be still!
Take 5 minutes😉
Wait.
And before we give Him our list…
Ask the Almighty
Jesus what is Your Prayer today?
What is the Burden of Your heart right now?
Give me a vision.
A person, a people group
Speak to me a name, a nation, a situation
How do You see them?
What is Your desire?
How can I partner with You today?
Shut The Door
You cannot see well
If your vision is on everything around you.
We cannot hear well
If there is noise.
If we do not let go of our stuff
We cannot pick up His Burden!
And I can assure you
I do not have it mastered☹
But still I know
When we take care of God’s Business
He will take care of ours!
So.
Enter your place of prayer.
Shut the Door
Meet with The King!
I’ll tell you a little secret😉
If you struggle to do so
Try a night watch😉
Or pray at dawn.
There are little distractions.
Even time seems to wait.
Shut the Door
Some of you will read this post carefully.
Some will only glance.
Some will shrug their shoulders.
If only you could see my brokenness
All of us at some point take it for granted
But when I truly grasp
That I am meeting with The King
That I really have His Attention
I recognize that He alone deserves
Undistracted
Without competition
Consistent
Alone Time!
Shut the Door
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