Communing with the Father
1 In Matthew 6:5-8 Jesus begins to talk about prayer. Beholding the Father's face is still the subject of these verses.
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 of 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.
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
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.
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.
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.
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 needs to be in that secret place with God.
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