The Prayer Room
But you, when you pray, enter your closet, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret shall reward you openly.
Matthew 6:6
The Way to the Prayer Room
The classic novel by British author, C.S. Lewis, provides a wonderful picture of the believer’s prayer room. In the Chronicles of Narnia, Lewis tells the story of four curious youth who find their way into a wardrobe filled with garments and boxes and discover they are in a magical world called Narnia. As the youth enter Narnia, they discover their identity as princes and princesses and that an evil witch controls the kingdom once ruled by a mighty lion named Aslan. The story climaxes with a scene that pictures the mighty lion sacrificing his life to save one of them. In the grand finale, there is a war between good and evil in which good triumphs and the witch is destroyed. It is a wonderful picture of the Church and its future triumph.
Yet, it is the wardrobe or closet that presents an interesting approach to prayer. Much like the wardrobe, we enter prayer not knowing the circumstances we face. We enter prayer not understanding the blessings that God has in store. We enter prayer, many times, not understanding that we are God’s princesses and princes. We enter prayer not realizing that in God’s Closet, there are garments that can clothe us. There are garments of righteousness. There are garments of truth. There are garments of faith and mercy. Lord knows, we should never leave the wardrobe without putting on the garments of holiness to the Lord. It is my strong belief, that the prayer room is really a wardrobe for change. We enter the prayer room one way, but we should be able to exit the prayer room another way. We should be able to exit the prayer room with a better attitude. We should be able to exit the prayer room with bold faith. We should be able to exit God’s prayer room with Power from on High. The question is this: how do you get to God’s Prayer Room?
In the text, Jesus gives us four necessary steps into the true Prayer Room of God. But you, when you pray, enter your closet, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret shall reward you openly. The first step into the prayer room involves intention. Jesus said, “when you pray.” God is not concerned with your gripe session. God is not listening when you complain and second guess His Will for your life. He will always listen when your intent is to pray and have a desire to talk with Him. So come on in the Prayer Room.
The second step into the prayer room is privacy. Jesus said, when you have shut the door. Prayer time can be interrupted and disrupted by intruders. Satan is always looking for ways to invade your prayer room. He even attempted to disrupt Jesus time in prayer, but our Lord cast him out with the Word. Beware when your thoughts are scattered with worries. Beware when you are praying but your mind is not focused. You don’t need to answer the phone when you are in your prayer room. That prayer room should only allow yourself, other prayer partners, and God. Yet, there are times when you need to pray alone with God. Guard your prayer room. Better yet, let God’s Word guard your prayer room. Quote many Scriptures in prayer and let them fill your heart.
Yet there is another step into the prayer room that many ignore, and it is the step of acknowledging God’s Presence. Jesus said, pray to your Father in secret. I don’t know if you have this problem, but I have certainly run into it many times. What do you say to God? We are humans and God is Holy. We are creatures and God is the Creator of all things. Jesus gave us the key to opening the prayer. When you pray, say our Father which art in Heaven. Don’t start your prayer with what you want. First and foremost, address God properly and with reverence for Who He is. He is God so you must first acknowledge His Presence. So come on into the prayer room.
The final step into the prayer room is the step of expectation. Listen to what Jesus promises in this verse. Your Father Who sees in secret shall reward you openly. God is going to act as a result of you coming into the prayer room and acknowledging His Presence. God will reward you in such a way that your blessing will be known outside the prayer room. In other words, something will change in your life as a result of prayer.
God is With You in the Prayer Room
The Old Testament high priest would enter what was known as the Holy of Holies or the Inner Sanctuary of the Holy Temple. The priest could not be accompanied by anyone, and he had to approach that area with the proper offering, or he could lose his life. In the New Testament, Jesus provided us with a new and living way into the Holy Place. Through His Body and His Blood, we have been given a Way into God’s Presence; we enter that Holy Place every time we pray. Here is the wonderful thing about it. You can find your way to the Holy Place from anywhere and at any time. You don’t need to go to Jerusalem to the Holy City to find God’s Holy Place. You don’t need to go to the Church to find God’s Holy Place, even though you can access it from the Church. You just need to know the steps into the prayer room, and you will be in the Holy Place. In other words, when you are in the Prayer Room you are also in the Holy Place. How do I know? Because Jesus said so. When you pray, enter your closet, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father in secret; and your Father Who sees in secret shall reward you openly. You are praying to the Father Who sees you and will reward you. You are in the Prayer Room and in the Holy Place. In John 14:6, Jesus made an incredible statement to this fact. He said, I Am the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one comes to the Father except through Me. It is through Christ and Christ alone that we can enter the Holy Place.
Remember those garments we talked about in the prayer room? Remember how we also said that you are meeting with God in the prayer room? Well, those are God’s garments for your life. God wants you to be well dressed and that is what He will do while you are in the prayer room. But before donning the garments, you must first fill your heart and soul with the wonder of God’s Presence. The garments will not have the impact unless they shine with the Glory of God.
It was once thought that if anyone saw God they would die. That myth has been disproved as God has revealed Himself to many who would later go on to serve and live for God. The truth is, whenever you see God, you will never be the same. So, it is a fact that if you see God, your life will change forever. You cannot see God without being changed by God. It is wonderful to enter the prayer room and see God’s Peace. The world tries to fill your mind and heart with worries and anxieties, but in the prayer room you will behold the wonders of God’s Peace. We need that in this troubled world.
We will also experience God’s Promises in the prayer room. One of the culprits to our anxiety is instant gratification. When we want something, we want it now. That is not the way God’s Kingdom works. Everything must be done according to His Will. That also involves God’s timing. That involves the future expectation of the blessing. To help us bridge the gap between our current state and future blessing, we need our hearts to be filled with God’s Promises. Some may not be able to grasp the meaning of a promise, but if you can trust the promises of man, you should be more than willing to trust the Promise of God. For example, you will make a deposit into your local credit union or bank, and you expect to be able to get your money back. Yet, that same bank will go out and invest your money through loans and other investments. You trust their promise to give you your money when you need it. Here’s another example, you trust your doctors and nurses to work on your body to help you feel better. The results are not always immediate, but you trust that their procedure will improve your health. Ladies and gentlemen, if you can trust man, you should have no problem trusting God.
Not only do we find God’s Peace and God’s Promises in the prayer room, but we also experience God’s Power. You have heard the saying there is Power in Prayer. The truth is, the power is not in the prayer, but in God Who hears our prayer. Your Father Who sees in secret shall reward you openly. Part of the rewards is that we go into prayer weak, but we leave prayer being strong in the Lord and in the Power of His Might. Our rewards of prayer is that we leave God’s Presence with authority over the situations that once caused us pain. If you leave the prayer room the same way you came in, you need to turn around and go back into prayer.
In the Old Testament, a young man named Isaiah went into the Temple to pray about his life and his nation. The king had just died, and he was concerned about his future as well as the future of his people. The Bible tells us (Isaiah 6:1), that He saw the Lord, high and lifted up and the train of His Glory filled the Temple. Isaiah did not realize it until he got into the prayer room that he had a defiled tongue and filthy life and that his people suffered the same condition. In other words, Isaiah recognized that he was a sinner. When Isaiah cried out in prayer about his condition, God dispatched an angel to touch his lips and his life. Here’s the bottom line of the story. Isaiah entered the prayer room feeling helpless and ultimately worthless before God Almighty. But when Isaiah saw the Lord, God rewarded him openly. That same young man left the prayer room eager to serve God. He said, Lord, here I am, send me.
The Rewards of the Prayer Room
Everyone who enters God’s Prayer Room, God’s Holy Place, can expect the same results and be just as eager to serve God as Isaiah. You must simply have an open heart while you are in God’s Prayer Room. Now before I close this message, we need to check to see which garments fits you prior to you leaving the prayer room.
Do you have a spirit of heaviness, then your garment should be the Praise garment of God. Every time that thought of loss and heaviness comes over you, put on that garment of Praise. Give God glory and honor because He promised to never leave you nor forsake you. Give God praise because He has never failed you and He never will.
Perhaps the garment of Faith is what you need. You will find that in the Prayer Room of God, and it will be just your size. Put in on and button it up because there are many winds of doubts and fears that will attack you. Remember the garment of faith also involves your future. Now faith is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things yet to be seen. Hebrews 11:1. Don’t leave that prayer room without it.
Then there is the garment of Righteousness. God wants you to wear that one because without it no one shall see God. That garment also assures us that we will be filled with God’s goodness. The world will definitely notice a difference in your life.
For those who are going through battles, and you are not sure of what garment you will need, let me recommend the Whole Armor of God. That way, when you leave the prayer room, you will not have to worry about the right equipment. It will work every time and you will win every time because the battle is not yours, it is the Lords. So, go out there and fight the good fight of faith.
Remember, what ever you need, you will find it in the Prayer Room of God. Y’all come back to the Prayer Room soon. You hear?