Scripture to Read: Matthew 6:6
Our Lord Jesus is teaching us about prayer, and He’s reminding us that to deepen our intimacy with our Heavenly Father, we must have times of one-on-one conversation with Him with no one else around. Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you.” As we saw yesterday, prayer is never to be showy, but it can be done in public when we need to talk with our Heavenly Father. But prayer must be done privately as well. Our intimacy with our Lord cannot be deepened through public prayer but only through private prayer with Him. Through our private time with our Lord, we can be honest and confess our sins (1 John 1:9). God lovingly convicts us of unrepentant sins, especially in our private time with Him, for that is when we are most vulnerable with Him and lay ourselves before Him and His throne of grace. The good news is that we can then thank Him for the forgiveness we already have through our Lord Jesus Christ (Colossians 1:13–14, Colossians 2:13–14, 1 Peter 2:24). Our private prayer time also grows our intimacy with our Heavenly Father because we feel zero pressure about what we discuss with Him; after all, no one else is listening. We must also learn God’s heart by praying His Word and thanking Him for His presence and provision in all areas of our lives.
Challenge & Application
· Why is private prayer so important to broadening and deepening our intimacy with God the Father?
· What does your current private prayer life look like, and how can you grow in it?
Don’t forget to pray using the A.C.T.S. (Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication) method!