Day 5
PLACE
Reminder: Yesterday was militant. We decided to take on everything that tries to divert our prayer focus. What are you doing right now to combat each distraction? Again, ask the Lord to help you win the war on distractions.
Today let’s examine the place where you pray. Because it’s very important to the success of your prayer Reset.
“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.” (Matt 6:6)
Jesus addressed the place of private prayer by painting a picture:
Jesus’ advice? Build your prayer life upon the bedrock of a secluded location. Find a room where you can withdraw from others, close the door, and have personal time with your Father.
Jesus gave a guaranteed way to get in the Father’s presence. He said the Father is in the secret place, and when we shut our door we are immediately with Him. Instant intimacy. All you have to do, to meet with the Father, is shut your door.
In Jesus’ case, He didn’t have a room where He could isolate Himself from others, so He went outdoors to a solitary place for prayer (Mark 1:35). That’s the idea behind shut your door. Jesus meant we should find a place of solitude.
Psalm 91 speaks marvelously of this meeting place with God. Write out Psalm 91:1 here:
This abiding relationship with the Father starts by withdrawing to the secret place of prayer, but then it never stops as we maintain that same intimacy with Him throughout the day. He wants to reveal to us the secrets of how to live in His presence all day long.
PRAY. Ask God to show you where your secret place should be. If you can’t think of a place right away, stay here until the Lord gives it to you. Is it a room in your home? Your car? Outdoors?
Write down the specific place where you are resolved to pray during this 20-day Reset.
My secret place of prayer is:
PRAY. Take a little time to ask for help to get to your place of solitude every day.
Pray without ceasing. (1 Thess. 5:17)
By the way, your car can be a great place to pray. But don’t drive during your Reset. Park it and pray. Then, when you drive away, keep praying.
That little verse is one of the most challenging of all Scripture. And it’s also one of the most amazing, because it reveals the Lord has made possible an ongoing conversation with Him that is so meaningful it never stops. What happens during a 20-minute Reset doesn’t stop when the 20 minutes are over; rather, it fires up something that continues throughout the remainder of our day.
That little verse is the great aspiration of every believer with a noble heart for all of God. What we’re all aiming for is a prayer life that becomes an unceasing, vibrant, 24/7 reality.
Getting to your place of prayer every day is so wise. It helps you make unceasing prayer the quest of your lifetime.
Lord Jesus, help me to follow You every day to my secret place. And may that which happens there color everything I do every day.
You’re going to have a fantastic day today with Jesus!
RESET: 20 Ways to a Consistent Prayer Life Copyright © 2018 by Bob Sorge Published by Oasis House
Reproduced with permission.
For information on all Bob’s books, go to www.oasishouse.com