The Prayer Closet

I’m studying about prayer and prayer closets because I want to have a more effective prayer life. I remembered watching a program on TV in which a woman talked about visiting someone in the hospital. She found a little prayer room and went in there to pray. She took off her jacket and used it to cover her head and have some extra privacy while praying. Someone said that was almost like going into a prayer closet like Jesus taught his disciples in Matthew 6:6. “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.” (New Living Translation)

When should we pray? We should pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).  We should pray in the morning, in the evening, when we are embarrassed or perplexed and needing direction, when we are tempted, when we are depressed, when we are anxious, when the Holy Spirit prompts us, in fact, anytime is a good time to pray, because nothing else will satisfy the soul like communion with God. Praying in a secret or private place is more satisfying to the soul because it gives us one-on-one time with God, and He will reward us.

At this website, http://www.gotquestions.org, I read about prayer closets. While Jesus taught that we should pray in a private place so we wouldn't be distracted by the world around us, many people have actually taken His teaching literally. They have cleaned out closets and made them into prayer closets, or built small rooms designated for prayer in their houses, and furnished them with a comfortable chair, a table, a Bible, a notebook, and sometimes even candles and a crucifix. I’m not knocking that. I think it’s a great idea. 

But a “prayer closet” doesn't  have to be an actual closet. It can be your car (you can pray on your daily commute). It can be a bench in your garden. It can be your kitchen table. It can be your bedroom. It can be a pantry. Wherever it is, it should be free from distractions, interruptions, and listening ears. It is a place for private prayer.

Today I was feeling really depressed and knew I needed to be alone with God. I can’t get down on my knees to pray because of my arthritis and surgeries in the past year. I read somewhere that John Wesley’s mother would sit on a chair and throw her apron over her head as a sign to her children to leave her alone because she was praying. Then I remembered the woman I wrote about in the first paragraph of this post. Even though I was alone in the house at the time, except for the cats who were howling for attention, I sat at the kitchen table, covered my head with a sweater and communed with Him for several minutes. You know what? The atmosphere in the kitchen changed. I felt the presence of God. It was like He was leaning close to listen to me. The cats got quiet and lay down at my feet. You know what else? My soul was satisfied. The depression was replaced with peace. I knew God had heard my prayer.

 

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (James 5:16 New Living Translation)