When You Pray

“But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6

When my daughter was a young girl, she began to develop a very serious relationship with God. One day I couldn’t find her anywhere, although I had looked inside and outside of the house. When she finally emerged, I questioned where she had been. She told me that the Bible says when you pray you should go away by yourself and shut the door behind you. Some translations say “Enter your closet.” Turns out she was in her bedroom closet. 

Jesus was not opposed to public prayer. He often prayed publicly Himself. What He was opposed to was public prayer that was done for show, to draw attention to the one praying with no regard for actually communicating with God. Prayer should never be a display to be admired by others. 

You want to be seen? Go away by yourself. Shut the door and pray to God privately. God sees. He hears. He knows. And His reward will be far greater than the accolades of man.