Prayer #5— Private Answers

When you pray, go into your closet, and once you’ve shut your door, pray to your Father who is in private and your Father who sees in private will give to you. Matthew 6:6

Prayer is not a performance. God prefers to answer private prayers because private prayers are humble and honest prayers. He does not appreciate public posturing of righteousness and holiness, because he wants to be the center of attention in our praying. So he prohibits that kind of praying. This doesn’t mean we should never pray in public. It only means that when we pray in private, we are more likely to base our prayers on God’s purpose to display his glory, rather than on any distinctive of our own for which we can gain human praise. So we will be more likely to communicate our desire that he work in such a way that his reputation be held in honor. Privacy promotes this humility. Also, we are more likely to be honest when we pray privately, more likely to admit the depth of our need and how desperate we are for God’s help. God knows what we need before we ask, but when we ask in private, where we do not need to appear self-sufficient, we can express more freely the passion of our hearts concerning our need and our desire to see God work. Honest humility in private conversations causes doctors to give all they can for their patients, and God to give all he can for his people.

In the quietness of this moment, while you watch and listen to me, Father, I confess my desperate need of your mighty work in my life and my deep desire to see your glory. Amen.