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The prayer closet. What is it and why we need it.

Evangelist Steve Livingston
Jan 1, 2018
5 min read

Updated: May 24, 2021

The Prayer Closet : What it is and why you need to organize it asap!!!

Many of us remember a few years ago when the movie The War Room was released, self professing believers of all shapes and sizes and creeds flocked to the local theater to see the effects of the one thing that is lacking in most of our lives, prayer.

The great evangelist DL Moody said, “All of my failures have been prayer failures.

” Its definitely true, that if we fail to pray, we ultimately will have failed those whose lives would have been most greatly impacted for the Kingdom. A man will study because his head is hungry for knowledge. Yet a believer prays because his heart is hungry for God. I hope that this little portion of writing will have an impact on your desire to seek the master face to face,

Matthew 6:5-8 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thy have shut thy door, pray to thy father which is in secret; and thy father which seeth in secret; shall reward thee openly. But when ye pray,use not vain repetitions as the heathen do: for they think that they should be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your father knoweth not what things ye have need of before ye ask of him.

Within these three verses of scripture we have so many theological truths, yet I want to focus solely on the basics at this time and perhaps preach a series on this portion of scripture at a later date. Simply put, prayer is a discourse, an open dialogue between God and the believer. And like all great forms of communication it includes both listening and speaking. I often think that God gave us two ears so we can listen to Him more than offer up our vain repetitions. I’m not saying not to plead, beg, and implore and beseech God on behalf of others or your situation. What I am saying is I don’t think God wants us repeating our prayers as follows….

“O Lord, I need you Lord, You Know Lord That you are Lord, and This need Lord, You know it Lord, so Please fulfill it Lord, Help it come to pass Lord etc” or for us to recite prayers that folks have written out over the centuries, and yes that includes reciting what many claim to be the Lords prayer/model prayer. Instead, God wants us to pour out hearts to Him in honest and sincere humility.

There is no doubt that the Lord does not bless our rituals, rather the relationship we have with Him. David said in Psalm 51:16-17: For thou desiredst not sacrafice, else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrafices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart thou wilt not despise. So then what is the prayer closet?

First lets break down a few things about these verses. Notice the word enter in verse #6….When thou prayest enter into thy closet. Now Christ as we see is expecting us to pray, in the closet. The word enter here is used in the aorist sense….an imperative active verb….an expectation for us to actually be going into the prayer closet.

The closet is a place of solitude, a place where we can go and shut out the world around us and be alone with God. Our prayer closet is much like a secret closet that only a few know about. It’s where we store and hide away our most valuable treasures. If it weren’t guarded, thieves would come and rob us of that which we have placed within it.

Now our personal alone time with God is our own personal alone time with God. Yet it’s the one thing that Satan will try to keep the believer from doing on a daily basis. Our spiritual life will never rise above that of our prayer life. Oswald Chambers said, “ Prayer does not fit us for the greater work, it is the greater work.”

The prayer closet is a place of solitude where God will mold us, purge us, refine us, and directs us. It’s the one place where we learn to let God work in us, so eventually he can work through us.

These vs’s of scripture teach us a few valuable lessons.

1. They teach us how to and how not to pray 2. They teach us that the reward for our prayer is not the applause of others 3. We receive the divine favor of God if we get prayer right.

What prayer is not.

Prayer is not simply focusing on what you can get from God. Perhaps you need to be molded by God in order to be the answer to somebody’s prayer request. The true prayer warrior only comes to God in need of what only God wants for Him, and is content with whatever answer God bestows upon him. We must eliminate all desire to follow our own agenda (Luke 9:32) Dying to ourselves is the first and main requirement of all prayer.

Prayer is to be so focused on God, that our hearts are radically changed by Him. And we see God’s promise to us. And thy Father which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

The enemy of our souls will do everything within his power to keep you from being alone with God. Doubt and discouragement will lead you away from solitude with God. The enemy knows if he can keep you from praying, he has the upper hand in your life.

Preparing for and entering the prayer closet

#1 Make an appointment with God.

Our meeting time with God must be non-negotiable. It cant be neglected, but at the same time your not going to just drop to your knees for three hours and pull down heaven either. Just as you to train your physical muscles, we need to train our spiritual muscles as well.

#2 Find a place.

Whether it’s by your bedside, an actual closet in your room, or early in the morning at the kitchen table, you need to have a place that is all yours where you and God meet up every day. Many times Christ had to leave his disciples so he could go to a place to pray.

#3 Consider your posture.

Could you believe that in some theological circles there is actually a debate over whether a person may stand or not when praying? Now I believe that we should come to God just as we are, but leave our time of prayer just a bit closer to him. As the need arises and as the Lord moves upon your heart, their will be times when you must lay prostrate on the floor. Other times be on your knees, or disappear into the solace of the forest and walk and cry out. The main concern regarding your posture is to allow the need to be reflected by it. Casualness with God leads to Carnality.

#4 Develop an eternal outlook

It would do you well if you were to make a reference list of Bible verses that deal with the majesty and glory of heaven. Often, we walk away from the good things of God because we fail to reaffirm them within our heart on a continual basis. Never forget that you have a home in heaven, a father who loves you, and a church home you can find sweet fellowship at.

#5 Submit to God, resist the devil

James 4:7-Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flees from you. Notice that submission to God comes first, then the resisting of the enemy. I believe that if we simply study scripture and church history that lacking complete submission to God is the second most dangerous and destructive act we can partake in outside of having a lack of a real prayer life. Submission is voluntary, yet it opens your heart to the realization that you can do nothing outside of the complete and perfect will of God.