Lesson Fifty-Two: Communing with God
52.1 In Matthew 6:5-8 Jesus begins to talk about prayer. Beholding the Father's face is still the subject of these verses.
52.2 Jesus said,
And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the (main) streets, that they may be seen by men. (Most) assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. Matthew 6:5
The desire of true devotion is connection with God. True piety has no desire to make a display before men. In fact, it craves to be alone with God. Prayer seeks to behold the Father's face. Prayer is intimacy with God. Making a public display of it would be the ultimate perversion. But the Pharisees had the habit of "accidentally" getting caught on a busy street corner at the hour or prayer. Then they would turn their faces towards Jerusalem or towards the temple and make a public show. Their hypocrisy was all too obvious, but they were not ashamed to go that far. These hypocrites were not really praying at all, it was just a vain show.
52.3 Jesus commanded His followers to act differently...
But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. Matthew 6:6
52.4 Where is the secret place? And what is the open reward? Psalm 91 tells us...
The secret place: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust."The heart of God is the secret place. A heart that is seeking God's heart is a heart that dwells in the secret place.
The reward:
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence.
He shall cover you with His feathers; and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you.
Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked
Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.
In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.
He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.
Psalm 91:1-16
52.5 True praying must start in secret. Since its very nature is communion with God, it would seek to shut out all distractions. This kind of prayer is an act of worship* and is demanded by a heart that seeks the Father's face. Since nothing less than open fellowship with God will do, this kind of a heart also seeks complete obedience to the Father's will. This attitude is the secret place of the Most High - the attitude that seeks God's heart.
* Jesus used a word for prayer that could only have meant an act of worship.
52.6 Anyone who knows how to pray in secret will also know how to pray in public.* He will have no problem joining in or even leading corporate prayer, unless he is very unusually shy.
52.7 We seek the Father.
*Footnote: Praying with other Christians is very powerful. Jesus said, "For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them." Matthew 18:20 But even when you are praying in a public meeting your heart should be in that secret place with God.
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