private prayer

Matthew 6:6

"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."

We are studying prayer. In the Gospel of Matthew, Jesus is teaching His disciples how to pray. His first lesson is don't show off. Don't make your prayers into a show. Your prayers are communication with God. You want to have a heart-to-heart with God. If you're praying so others around you will hear and have some kind of reaction, then you are not really having an intimate conversation with God. And, whatever reaction you get from other people to your prayers is all the answer you will receive.

In today's verse, Jesus teaches the right way to pray. "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."

Jesus is radical and countercultural in this lesson. In Jewish communities at this time, people thought that the whole point of religious activity was to be seen by others. They highly valued honor over shame. Everyone's priority was appearing acceptable to their family members, neighbors, and the church community. Influencing the opinions of other people was their motivation to pray. (Surely, no one is doing that today. 😉) According to Jesus, God will not reward such actions. Jesus instructs His followers to pray as secretly as possible to avoid even the possibility of mixed motives. 

Today's verse encourages individuals to shut themselves away, free from distractions and external pressures, to focus on communicating with their heavenly Father. Knowing this, we need to pray in private, away from public scrutiny or expectation of reward. It is essential to separate oneself from external influences and distractions to truly connect with God. Private prayer is a vital aspect of one’s relationship with God.