Shut the Door
I have often wondered why the disciples asked Jesus to teach them how to pray. People usually pick up the way to pray by hearing someone else pray. I have found that in different church movements and denominations people pray differently. Even the mannerisms are different from church to church. The disciples of Jesus had noticed that the disciples of John the Baptist had their way of praying and the Pharisees had their way, but, for some reason, Jesus’ way was unknown to them. I believe the answer is found in Matthew 6, in His great Sermon on the Mount.
Jesus begins to teach on prayer by saying, “When you pray…” (v.5). He did not say “if” you pray, but “when” you pray. He takes for granted that we all pray and so here He teaches us how to pray. First comes the warning that we are not to pray to be seen by men. The Pharisees prayed on the street corners, with loud, long, eloquent prayers. They wanted the people who heard them to be impressed with their spirituality. Jesus was not impressed and called this kind of prayer, hypocrisy. Jesus went on to say, “Go into your room and shut the door,” (v.6) I believe this was the reason why Jesus’ way of praying was a mystery to His disciples, for Jesus often retreated to an isolated places to pray. He would send His followers on ahead so He could be alone to pray. He knew the importance of shutting the door.
In the secret place with Father God, words are few. Here there is no one to impress or teach. Here is where we connect with God. The secret place is where we shut out all the other voices, all the busyness of our lives, all the interruptions, and where we turn off the cell phones and TV. Behind closed doors is where we come to know God. It is the place of intimacy and communion. We are so often conditioned to meet God only in the gathering of the believers. With a good time of worship we feel the presence of God. Limiting our encounters with God to just this corporate expression of His presence is compartmentalizing our lives into different experiences and levels of spirituality. Did you know that God is always present? He is the “I Am”.
Religion has made God far from us and so one uses all kinds of techniques and props to get into the presence of God. Did you know the secret place is within? God is so present everywhere that it is amazing that so few people have come to know Him. The problem is not with God being present, but with us. Have you ever seen someone who is physically present, but they are off somewhere else in their mind. They may smile, nod their heads when you are speaking, but they are not there. The same is true with so many of us. We sing the songs, talk about God, read the books, but we are not present.
Susan Wesley, the mother of John Wesley, lived in a two room house along with husband and 17 children. To enter into her secret place, she would sit in a corner with her skirt over her head. She shut the door to the demands of her life to meet God. Do you have a place where you can shut the door on everything and everyone else? It is in the secret place where you will come to know God intimately and where your life will be transformed.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Mat. 6.5-13; 14.23; John 11.42; Psalms 91.1-2;