“But thou, when you prayest,enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to the Father which is on secret; and thy Father which seethe in secret shall reward thee openly”.
–Mathew6:6
Jesus tells His disciples to have an intimate relationship with God. Father and son relationship with the Lord is the most effective source of comfort and safety. If we pray to our heavenly Father in a secret place, it gives us full concentration. Jesus set us an example when He went away from His disciples and prayed to His Father. This is the usual practice for Him.
Mark1:35 “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed”.
Before selecting the 12 disciples Jesus spent the whole night with the Father
Luke6:12-13″And it came to pass in those days, that He went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God”.
In Old Testament we find prophet Elisha in a similar situation.
2 Kings 4:33″He went in therefore, and shut the door upon them twain, and prayed unto the Lord”.
Èlisha prayed secretly to God in a closed room with the dead boy of the Shunammite woman.
Again king Hezekiel turned his face to the wall and cried out to God to restore his life.He was sick and near death. God warned him through prophet Isaiah.He prayed in the secrecy of his relationship with the Lord..Lord heard and granted an addition of 15 years to his life.
Jesus set certain conditions for the prayer to be heard.
Mark 11: 25 – 26 ” And when years stand praying forgive, if you have ought against any that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses “. “But if you do not forgive neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your trespasses”.
Prophet Isaiah says
“And when you spread forth your hands,I will hide mine eyes from you.yea,when you make many prayers,I will not hear: Your hands are full of blood.”
–Isaiah 1:15
The prerequisite for prayer is forgive and reconcile with your adversary, and keep away from all evil.That is why the psalmist says in
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” “But verily God hath heard me: he hath attended to the voice of my prayer”.
–Psalms 66:18-19
Praise the Lord. Amen
–Sol.Salomi