Prayer Closet

I was reading a book the other day when I came across the term "prayer closet". I was already familiar with this phrase, but for some reason my most recent encounter caused an image to form in my mind. I thought how silly I would look huddled up in the dark in my closet praying all alone. Perhaps I could fit if I pushed my shirts to one side and wedged my way in next to my winter sweaters. Oh, but I would have to pile my shoes up in a stack. Working out the logistics in my head just made this idea paint a more and more absurd picture. But, in reality, I guess I do have one or two prayer closets of my own that I actually do take refuge in.

For those not familiar with the term, a prayer closet was spoken of in the Bible. It represents a secluded and private room of your house where you can go for meditation and prayer, away from the bustle and commotion of the home. A place where you can be with God and pour out your heart and mind where nobody will hear you or interrupt you. A prayer closet was meant to be a place of regular retreat. But in my life, the notion of a prayer closet is also quite real, although I don't actually crawl into my closet at home and shut the door.

My prayer closet is the unused formal dining room in my house, where the sun shines in brightly in the morning. It is my car on the way to and from work where I can think and be still. It is also a walk outside at work when my mind is flooded with things that I need to unload and seek my Savior's counsel. In many ways, a prayer closet framed by nature is the most wonderful of all. In some ways it feels like I am stepping out of my world into His.

"But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret.", Matthew 6:6