Matthew 6:6
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
The Prayer Closet, as far as I know, has been a part of the Old Church for a long time. My mom utilized it when I was a child. I am not sure if any other elders in my family did, as I only stumbled on it by accident (I was trying to sneak some of her clothes to wear to school lol).
So when I decided to write on this, I googled it to get some additional history. Apparently, there was a recent Christian movie called “The War Room”, and it looks like the Christian Planner community got a hold of the idea lol. I could find nothing about prayer closets that wasn’t linked to decorating, and/or organizing it.
There are so many blog articles and photos of closets under the stairs with fluffy throw pillows and wall stencil quotes… I was taken aback lol. I shouldn’t laugh, but this appeared to me to be the opposite of how the verse is taken ‘traditionally’.
The First Rule of Prayer Closets is You Don’t Talk About Prayer Closets
My mother never shared with me about her prayer closet, because the secrecy of it was taken that seriously. My mom had prayers tacked up on the wall, along with requests, but they were up behind her clothing where they should not have been seen. They were part of her ‘talks with God’, and according to the verse, she kept them secret just as instructed. The papers put up on the wall weren’t made to be beautiful or pleasing to the eye. That was not the purpose. They were facilitating the purpose, the communication of praise, and request for help in living this life.
With the advent of the Internet Age, secrecy has taken on a negative connotation. Yeah, some secrecy is bad of course, but personal privacy and spiritual secrecy used to be a given. It used to be ‘I don’t discuss politics or religion” was the norm, and people would be offended if you asked them about it. Real religious persecution was not so far back in history, as it feels to be now.
Matt 6:1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise, ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.
Matt 6:2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Matt 6:3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:
Matt 6:4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.
Matt 6:5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
I can’t quite put it into words, but I think the above verses also apply to the ostentatious and superficial tone of ‘Prayer Closet Decorating Ideas” lol.
Why I Gotta Hide?
Well, it’s not that you have to hide… Well yes, maybe it is. But not for the reasons that a person might immediately think of.
First off, communion with God is a personal and private endeavor. When done publicly, pride and arrogance can creep in unexpectedly without a person realizing. It can be a slippery slope when the lure of performance, and adulation is involved. If a person’s ability to be vulnerable, honest, and truthful is not looked after when intimately dealing with the Divine, any number of vices can take hold.
If not careful, next thing a person knows, they’ll be on Instagram performing prayers, and rituals for likes.
Prayer is for connection to What Is. That is a sacred, divine, and important activity. Extreme care needs to be taken when it goes up for sale, for whatever price.
Another thing in regards to arrogance, pride, and secrecy; like the Old Folks use to say, “Don’t let your left hand know what your right hand is doing” is always good practice.
Prayer Closets: Issa Vibe
Now on to what it takes to ‘make’ a prayer closet. I remember asking my mom about that verse and she said to me “It’s not a physical place.” I did not understand her answer at the time and thought she was just being vague, but this is pretty much the essence of it.
The Prayer Closet is more of an approach and attitude. God is the focal point. You bring your troubles to God and God alone. It’s about trust, and opening yourself to the Universe. Not keeping your problems circulating round and round in this material plane, but sending them on to a place that’s higher than here. It forces you into a personal and deep connection with What Is.
Traditionally, you can put up certain bible verses as personal reminders for your approach. The Lord’s Prayer (with preceding verses about how to pray), the 23rd Psalm, the verses I put up above, and any other little inspirational verses or words that move you to communicate in a simple, plain, and effective way.
It’s just for you, so keeping it hidden also helps to remind you of this.
I did see one suggestion [ http://tnprimerib.blogspot.com/2016/06/portable-prayer-closet.html], in my search, for anyone where putting it in a closet might not work for them. It’s a portable prayer closet made from those trifold craft boards used for children’s school projects. You can cut it down to a smaller size, and tape your verses to it. Pull it out, and set it up to use when you can be alone.
Or even if that’s too much, you can just use a binder or notebook. Make sections or however you need to make it.
I hope this is of help to someone who needs it.
All The Best,
Tru
