The inner chamber

Hello everyone,

How are you doing on this day? I hope well and bubbling in the Lord.

Primary Text

“Also when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by people. Truly I tell you, they have their reward in full already. But when you pray, go into your [most] private room, and, closing the door, pray to your Father, Who is in secret; and your Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you in the open.” Matthew 6v5-6 (AMP)

God has a lot to say about prayer and how to go about prayer. Indeed it is an absolute necessity for the believer, thus the admonition “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5v17). Earlier today, I was speaking with a dear brother about spiritual disciplines – things that we train ourselves to do. They are not always easy, but absolutely necessary. Things such as how Paul told to Timothy “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee” (1 Timothy 4v16). Thus is the manner of prayer. We cannot do without it. It is something that we are expected to do. But what great rewards come from it. In the primary text, we see an assurance of prayers uttered in the secret to the Father being answered. So why won’t we take advantage of it. God wants us, desires us to come aside and come apart (our Lord Jesus did this a lot), and pray to Him, to talk to Him, bring situations to His attention and guide us on how to do it. How is your prayer life?

Supplementary Text and Prayer

(Taken from “With Christ in the School of Prayer by Andrew Murray – Third Lesson)

Blessed Saviour! with my whole heart I do bless Thee for the appointment of the inner chamber, as the school where Thou meetest each of Thy pupils alone, and revealest to him the Father. O my Lord! strengthen my faith so in the Father’s tender love and kindness, that as often as I feel sinful or troubled, the first instinctive thought may be to go where I know the Father waits me, and where prayer never can go unblessed. Let the thought that He knows my need before I ask, bring me, in great restfulness of faith, to trust that He will give what His child requires. O let the place of secret prayer become to me the most beloved spot of earth. And, Lord! hear me as I pray that Thou wouldest everywhere bless the closets of Thy believing people. Let Thy wonderful revelation of a Father’s tenderness free all young Christians from every thought of secret prayer as a duty or a burden, and lead them to regard it as the highest privilege of their life, a joy and a blessing. Bring back all who are discouraged, because they cannot find ought to bring Thee in prayer. O give them to understand that they have only to come with their emptiness to Him who has all to give, and delights to do it. Not, what they have to bring the Father, but, what the Father waits to give them, be their one thought. And bless especially the inner chamber of all Thy servants who are working for Thee, as the place where God’s truth and God’s grace is revealed to them, where they are daily anointed with fresh oil, where their strength is renewed, and the blessings are received in faith, with which they are to bless their fellow-men. Lord, draw us all in the closet nearer to Thyself and the Father. Amen.”