MY CLUTTERED CLOSET!

MY CLUTTERED CLOSET!

Matt 6:6

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

Matt 14:23

23 And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone.

           In this mad rush we call life, how does a believer ever find an uncluttered closet in which to pray? My own mind is often so full of plans and problems that it is difficult to find a place for the spirit to kneel or a thought to reside without distraction. The whole idea of a “closet” is that prayer, real prayer, requires seclusion.

           Jesus often rose up “a great while before day” in order to find a solitary place. Like Jesus, I find that mornings are best for me. I like to get up early because others are still asleep in their beds and I am not forced to engage in conversation. In those times I can hear the still small voice of God which is often drowned out by the roaring of the day. I like my closet and my mind uncluttered. Even for Jesus, those times were rare.

Mark 1:35-37

35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.

36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.

37 And when they had found him, they said unto him, All men seek for thee.

           Today may be a busy one for you and you may need to steal snatches of uncluttered time where you can. It will be worth your effort to find an uncluttered closet to listen to God and to speak your heart to Him. This is the intimacy God longs for with His bride. It is what our own heart longs for even when we can’t define it. Jesus described it as a “hunger and thirst” after righteousness in Matthew 5:6.

Sweet Place

Sweet place; sweet place alone!

The court of God most high,

The heaven of heavens, the throne

Of spotless majesty!

Refrain

O happy place!

When shall I be, my God, with Thee,

To see Thy face?

The stranger homeward bends,

And sigheth for his rest:

Heaven is my home, my friends

Lodge there in Abraham’s breast.

(from Biblesoft Hymnal.)

Dear Lord, already I feel the day crowding in on us. How I long for that sweet place, that uncluttered closet of prayer. AMEN