“But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:6
“Behind every work of God, you will always find a kneeling form.” Dwight L. Moody
- Do you have a special place where you meet with Jesus? Find your comfy spot and spend time in prayer, asking God to deepen and refresh your prayer life.
- Read Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT). Prayer is an essential part of your walk with God. He loves you so much that He wants to know everything about you! He cares about every little detail of your day and wants to comfort you when you are hurt, lost, afraid, frustrated, and even angry. Prayer is not simply talking to our daddy in heaven; it is so much more. It is an intimate relationship with the lover of your soul! What a privilege to be able to talk to our Creator, Almighty God!
Making Room For Prayer
The most spiritually successful people in Scripture were men and women of prayer. Christ prayed before every miracle and would remove himself from the crowds to find quiet time with the Father. If Jesus found time to pray, then how much more should we follow His example to pray?
Creating a secret place to meet the Lord in prayer is how we begin to make quiet time a life-changing priority. Having a prayer closet will allow you to slow down, quiet your heart, read God’s Word without interruption, hear the voice of the Lord, and pray for your family, ministry, neighbors, and others. Your quiet time will become a time of refreshment with the Lord and might even become your favorite part of the day!
Here are some tips to get you started:
- Go into your “secret place” and thank God for all His blessings and provisions. Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise His name.” Thanksgiving gives you a humble posture for prayer. You can journal your praises and even acknowledge answered prayers.
- Sing songs of praise. You can sing songs you know from church, or if you don’t remember words easily, pick up a hymnal or play praise music aloud. Psalm 22:3 states that “God inhabits the praises of His people.” Worship gives the Almighty the honor He deserves. Lifting your voice in worship invites the Lord to join you.
- Open your Bible, and before reading, ask the Holy Spirit to give you wisdom to understand the mysteries of His Word. Read Scripture out loud. Hebrews says that the Word of God is alive and active (Hebrews 4:12). If you feel like trying something new, sing the words like David did in the Psalms. Take notes, underline, and/or meditate on what the Lord has spoken to you.
- Spend time seeking the Lord for intervention and blessing on your marriage, children, home, or work. Add prayers for your church, our nation’s leaders, and missionaries in the field. Don’t forget to be specific in this time of conversing with God and pray for people by name. Prayer is such a powerful weapon against the enemy when dealing with spiritual warfare! Be ready to see a breakthrough!
To dive deeper into prayer, I have created a prayer board that allows me to pin/tape prayer requests, pictures, and Bible verses to reflect on. Setting this in front of me not only helps me focus but also keeps distractions out! I use the acronym P.U.S.H (Pray Until Something Happens) as a jump start to my prayer time. Write this out and use it as your daily reminder on your own prayer board!
When my children see me in my little makeshift prayer closet, they know it is my quiet time and that they may not interrupt. Model quiet time and teach your kids the value of spending time with Jesus. Prayer is the most important thing we can do for our children! It will impact them when we are gone. Help your children find a cozy corner for their own dedicated time with God too. May the Lord bless you as you seek Him in your silent retreat from the world.
Blessings and Love,
Rae-Ellen Sanders
Questions to Ponder
- If you are being completely honest with yourself, are your prayer times hasty and repetitious? Do you long for more time with the Lord but get caught up in the busyness of the day?
This type of quiet time only scratches the surface of what God desires and commands us to do. Don’t get me wrong: sometimes, we don’t have the luxury of long times of prayer. However, if we set aside time to have deliberate quiet time, we will be rejuvenated and rewarded with His presence. Ask the Lord to help you put aside what hinders you from seeking Him and to give you a passion for intercession.
Faith-Filled Ideas
How to make a prayer closet:
First, find a simple space. If you have a spare bedroom, office, room under the stairs, or closet, use it! Tidy it and remove all things that will cause a distraction so you will be able to meditate on God, the things of God, and the work of God. You can use a chair, or if you like to kneel, use a comfy mat, pillow, or room to lay before the Lord. You will need ample wall space for Scripture, prayer reminders, clippings, and photos. You may need a lamp, depending on location, and a Bible, pen, journal, hymnal, or music player.
If you’re like me and don’t have room in your house for a dedicated prayer closet, another option would be to create a little nook with a tri-fold board that you can find at most office stores. When opened, my board shields me from the laundry and other distractions that want to pull me away from time with God. When I am finished, it folds up and easily stores under my bed. I’ve added prayer cues and Scriptures to my board that move me to pray. Pinterest has been a great resource to help me tailor my board to my liking.
In her lifetime, she traveled the world exercising gifts of hospitality and a passion for missions. She now lives in the beautiful state of Colorado with her beloved husband Brian & busy crew.
She loves to be creative with cooking and meets friends for coffee. Rae-Ellen says,"My sweetest coffee dates are with Jesus!"
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