“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:5-6 NIV)
My new friends had more wisdom to dispense on the subject of prayer last Sunday. They explained how when we go into our room to pray, we shut out the world and we get in front of God. I think of the revolving doors on the skyscrapers from my childhood and wonder if the seamless swivel of the glass doors have something to do with maintaining appropriate internal pressure. We do this; one moment we are out in the thick of it and then, in the next, we step through the door to find ourselves face to face with God.
Yesterday, I was doing research for another Wednesday night Bible study when I came across the Bible Project video about the Temple. The video quite excellently described the Old Testament as a place where the presence of God interacted with people: a holy overlapping of heaven and earth. My thoughts were was centered around Paul’s scripture to the Corinthians:
“Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, whole you have received from God?” (1 Corinthians 6:19 NIV)
These frail frames are, in fact, New Testament temples; the unlikely coupling of the divine and ordinary. Which means that within the walls or our hearts and our homes, we have opportunity to meet with God. What a privilege!
Matthew tells us that the hypocrite has already received their reward. Praying aloud in public for show begets attention. But praying in private begets presence. I don’t know about you, but I would rather have the presence of the living God who can accomplish something in my situation than the approval of others.
Lord, please forgive us for praying with corrupt motives. we aren’t in need of attention from others, we are in need of intervention from You. Thank You for meeting us behind closed doors and abiding in human frames. It is a privilege to be heard, to belong, to be imbued. This is our reward: intimacy with You. May Your nearness always be enough. Amen.