Thursday, August 26, 2010

"Clarity In The Closet"

"But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Matthew 6:6

I am so thankful that the Lord has placed truly wonderful, godly people in my life. And when I talk to them about certain issues and matters they always refer me to the scriptures. God has blessed us by giving us people that will counsel us, encourage us, pray with/for us, admonish us in God's word, teach us, bear our burdens, pastor us, stand with us and mentor us. It is nice to have someone to talk to when you are going through a problem or trial. But, people should never take the place of God.

There are some things- some answers, clarity, revelation, insight, understanding of the situation- that you aren't going to get any where except in your prayer closet talking to God. This is why a prayer closet is so important. We all need that secluded, quiet place to pray. We all need a place where we can "shut the door" to distractions and other things that would try to grab our attention away from seeking God for an answer. We all need a place where we can get alone with God and not be interrupted.

There are so many questions, so many needs, so many answers that we desire and we would gain clarity of many of them if we would get alone with Him in a place of prayer. We can't expect to get all we need "on the go'- praying while in the middle of doing ten other things. We have to learn to separate ourselves and come aside to seek the Lord. Moses would go to his closet- a mountain- and get alone with God and receive God's commandments and instructions. Jesus did this. And it seems to me that if Jesus needed to do it, how much more do we.

We are to pray without ceasing- that means that we should keep a prayer on our hearts, and it means that there will be times that we have to pray on the spot and can't get to the prayer closet. But it doesn't mean we are to neglect prayer in our closets alone with God. I am concerned that the "prayer closet" has become obsolete. I think they are becoming a rarity. Not too many people have one. It is no wonder we stay confused, frustrated, unsure of what we are to do, always seeking out someone to "give us a word" and talk to us for God. God would give it to us if we would spend some time alone with Him in quiet and shut out the rest of the world.

Have a great day. We would have a lot more clarity concerning God's will for our lives in every area if we would spend some time with Him in the prayer closet.

For further reading:
1 Thessalonians 5:17
Mark 1:35
Genesis 32:24-29
Matthew 14:23

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