Pray In Secret And Your Father Who Sees In Secret Will Reward You | Short Sermon Series
“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 6:6
Many of us long to feel the presence of God. We long for an intimate relationship with Him and we long to hear Him speak to us. Perhaps, out of this longing, we look forward to church camps where we can enter into a guided atmosphere that leads us to God. Or perhaps we chase the next worship event, but lament that we didn’t sing the songs we wanted to sing, or that the worship band was too loud or too soft.
Just like how King Solomon, through the wisdom of God, declared in Ecclesiastes 1:3, “For everything there is a season, A time for every activity under heaven.”, there is a time and place for communal worship and prayer that leads us to encounter God, but there is also a time and place for solitary worship and prayer in our lives.
Both activities are important, but it is more so in the intentional meeting with God, in the secret place of our own quiet time, that our faith grows and that we cultivate an intimate relationship with Him. This is the same way in which we cultivate relationships with our own friends - one-on-one meetings with friends can allow space to deepen your relationship with that friend as opposed to always meeting in a group setting.
If you’re looking to deepen your relationship with God and hear Him speak, perhaps it’s time to take ownership of your own faith. Instead of relying on church or events to lead you to encounter God, start meeting with God one-on-one more often and encounter Him yourself.
God’s not going to shout at you to pay attention to Him - He’s not in the earthquake or the fire, but He definitely can be found in the gentle whisper (1 Kings 19:11-13), and to hear a whisper you have to listen carefully and quietly. Then only will you hear His whispers of love, of favour and of abundant and sufficient grace. ❤️