Behind Closed Doors

Hope you all have had a great Thanksgiving with family and friends, and don't look now but Christmas is only 24 days away! I have enjoyed my break, and am slowly but surely sliding into the Christmas spirit. With that, the devotionals are back on. Here goes...

It is almost natural for my mind to think that what happens behind a closed door is something negative. Something that should not be seen. Almost like there is a dark reason why the door is closed in the first place. But I want to bring out a passage that teaches us to seek God in a secret place. To close out everything else. The point of closing the door is not to confine you there, but is simply there to close you off from any distractions.

Matthew 6:6-13 reads:

"But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Pray then like this:

“Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from evil."

Gives the Lord's Prayer a new meaning to me. It used to be something I routinely recited before football games. But here we can find absolute direction on how to pray and what to pray for. Sometimes we have great intentions about prayer, but never truly pray because we don't know where to start.

Start with "closing the door" on everything else in your life. Turn your phone on silent, turn off the tv for a while, get away from the computer. Be sincere. You do not have to use a lot of words, because God already knows your needs. But talk to Him. Start by telling Him how awesome He is. The ask His forgiveness(if you are anything like me, you need some of that), and then ask for His protection.

This passage tells us to pray in secret, and then the God who sees in secret, will hear you. So this week, I encourage you to go to Him when nobody else is around. Find a secret and special place just to talk with Him. He is waiting on you there...