Study 2. Shut the door

So, in building on the first study, let’s keep moving. The prayer Jesus taught his friends is also recorded in another part of the Bible, and helpfully, in this section, it has some additional information.

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But 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 6:5–6 (New International Version)

In contrast to lots of ‘professional praying people’ of Jesus' time, we have a section of the Bible here where Jesus is teaching his friends the manner and method of their prayer life. This wasn’t something to impress people with, using posh or fancy-sounding words as a power move over other people. Instead, Jesus tells the guys to find a quiet, solitary space, set themselves apart for a bit and then pray.

Perhaps for us, the impact of this isn’t as powerful, but the meaning behind this was really powerful for the audience who first heard Jesus saying this. The inner room, or the servants' closet, really was so far from the idea of public view and life. It was the polar opposite and a place of privacy between you and God, with no one else around.

Prayer can be something we do in a group, something we do in our minds as we walk around the supermarket, or even prayerful reflection as you're enjoying creation or riding a motorbike (Had to add that as I am a biker). The Apostle Paul (a man who had a radical change of heart and was inspired by God to write much of the New Testament) encourages Christians to always be prayerful. It's a bit difficult if you are at work or doing the shopping, but it encourages an attitude of prayerfulness, meaning this is not something foreign to you. But, there does seem to be a place that is different here, a deliberate process of taking yourself off, alone and praying to God.

Maybe you have never done that, turned the mobile off, disconnected from all the noise and pressure around you and prayed. Maybe programme in a time when you can shut the door behind you, be private and start talking to God.