“When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your
Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6)

Some people find that being alone in nature inspires them to pray. The sights, sounds, and fragrances of the natural world seem to draw us to their Creator; but Jesus is talking about a different kind of secret place. It’s a room with walls and a door where only you may enter, a place of deliberate solitude with the possibility of praying your deepest

prayers and knowing that they are heard and received.

In our world today, and even in Jesus’ time, it is unlikely that each one could have such a room available at need, yet this theme reoccurs when Jesus speaks about fasting in secret: When you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your father, who is unseen; and your Father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:17)

The “secret place” is intensely personal. It is not shared with anyone but our unseen Father. It is a pivotal acknowledgment in Jesus ‘Sermon on the mount’ that prayer is personal and answered by God. Inserted between these two admonitions to pray secretly, is located the Lord’s Prayer. It is actual words to use to address God in secret. Jesus surely knew that his prayer would become a very lasting and public prayer, but he didn’t hesitate to offer it to his disciples who asked to be taught how to pray. It seems that Jesus, when he said “Go to a secret place,” he meant both a private location, and a “place” within or spirits. Which shuts out the rest of the world in order to open a freeway to the Holy Spirit of God. It’s on that freeway that God hears and answers our prayers. In the “secret place” of our spirits there is no room for hypocrisy or pride, but only for a meeting with the God who knows us better than we know ourselves.

At the birth of Jesus God opened His “secret place” in heaven and sent His angels to the shepherds, who hurried to the manger and saw the wonderful baby. They, in turn, rushed out to tell many others what they had seen and heard. But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. (Luke 2:19) Mary had much that she could talk about, but instead she went to her “secret place,” a place that Jesus has made it possible for us all to visit, in ourselves, where we may fellowship with him.

Love in Him,

Prue