The Father Who Is In Secret

Posted by Art Nuernberg on November 7, 2011

The first principle of prayer is to get alone with God. We have looked at the negative side of this principle, as we noted our tendency to use spiritual activities for self-promotion. To guard against this pressure, we simply concluded: NEVER use prayer for anything other than speaking to God.

Now let us consider the positive aspects of this lesson. Think with me about Matthew 6:6: But you when you pray, go in your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you. A few simple encouragements may be gleaned from this passage.

We are first encouraged to pray to our Father who is in secret. While hypocrites pray in public, Jesus says you are to go into your own home. Once inside, you go into a smaller inner room which is closer to a cabinet. After you crawl inside, you shut the door.

This is not a normal occurrence, so no one will look for you in such a place. If you are quiet, those entering the house (normally a one-room house) will not realize that you are there. You are present in the home, but in secret.

Jesus relates this to prayer. When alone in the closet, we are not conscious of others. The eternal God is present. We do not have to sense His presence to believe this reality; the Lord assures us it is so. We are always in His presence, and He is always ready to listen to a heart that honestly addresses Him. Prayer does not depend on a consciousness of God. There are times when that might be our experience, and we should enjoy the encouragement such moments bring. However, our Father is just as real when we are least conscious of Him as He is during our most intimate experiences. He is there as surely as we are. We can count on this.

Jesus also tells us that the Father sees what is done in secret. Whenever we honestly direct our heart to God, the eternal One takes note.

The Lord does not say that He “hears” the prayer. To “hear” our prayer is a biblical idiom for receiving the petition we ask. This is the meaning when the Lord will not hear us because we regard iniquity in our hearts. Sin thwarts our efforts as intercessors. That is not the case here. The Lord encourages normal people to get alone with Him and speak to Him. He tells them to regard Him as their Father. When they do so, no matter who they are, the Father takes note. The Father listens to the expressions of their hearts.

We sometimes speak of prayers that do not go higher than the ceiling. If we limit our prayer to only asking God for things, that may be an appropriate concern. If, however, we see the essence of prayer as getting alone with God and opening our hearts to Him, the Lord tells us this will never be true. God sees (as opposed to the men on the street) and makes careful note of what is said. Jesus says that this is true every time we pray.

A final encouragement is found in the reward we receive from speaking honestly with our Father. The earlier translations include the word “openly” in connection with the reward, but that is unlikely. The reward is not explained. The character of the One bestowing the reward is presented. He is a Father who, in verse eight, is attentive, knowing exactly what we need. He is utterly trustworthy and thoroughly good. His reward will be according to His wisdom and goodness. It will fit our real need.

The Lord's purpose in giving the warning is to prevent the wasting of our prayer opportunities. The Father is ready to bless when we are ready to converse with Him. When we pray, we must block all others from our minds, set the Father before us, and speak to Him from our hearts.

Art Nuernberg is a teacher and the Pastoral Director at EI. His posts will be added to the blog every Friday. For more information about Art or any of the other staff members, click here.