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.
Truth that may be deliberately forgotten remains true. The God of secrets revealed the truths on the sermon on the mount. The beatitudes told what the word of God meant–a relationship with God is real not just a ritual of going to synagogue. It meant God is there all through every day, even in private times. Thy Father which is in secret —when no one else is there.
The Word hasn’t changed. How much is God in your life now that you’ve accepted him? There are times when no one else is around. We all have “closet” times; it’s our private time. We pull away from others; they are good for us. It’s a blessing to have those moments when we do right, but they are disturbing if we aren’t. God is in our private moments. What I do in private is no one else’s business. We extend our private time to most no one else. BUT IT IS NECESSARY FOR GOD TO BE IN MY PRIVATE TIME MORE THAN IN MY PUBLIC TIME.
When are we most apt to sin? In public where others can see it? No. That’s where we are guarded. It’s in private when we think no one else sees it. Remember this– we never have a private moment that the devil is not there. He gets in there and if for no other reason, we need God there. Welcome Him there. The devil will discourage you, make you dwell on foolish things or worry. God hears. God sees. By yourself is the same as if 1,000 people are present. He’s God after all. And guess who is stronger–you or the devil? We can’t shake the devil. But with thy Father which is in secret there are no hidden things, even the devil who joins us there.
God is an obvious God. We see Him everywhere. He imposes himself on us everyday. He pops up in the faces of those trying to disprove Him. He’s simply God anyway. In light of that, we know he is God of the secrets, of the secret times. Remember that Daniel shut his doors and prayed in secret even though the command was not to do so. When the three Hebrew children were thrown in the fiery furnace, God was there, because of their secret times.
If it’s a TV show or a movie we shouldn’t watch, a song we shouldn’t listen to, or what we say and think God is present. When things hurt, He is comfort. WHY WOULD WE WANT TO HIDE FROM HIM? Jesus refers to the Father as thy God in secret. What would others think if they of your secrets? Do you wander what the preacher would think? What about God? Is it the devil and me only? No. God knows the secrets–and He’s still the Father.
I should never pray in public unless I’ve prayed in secret. When Jesus prayed in public we often see 30-40 seconds of it, but He would pray all night long, just the Father and Him. He retreated many times from the crowd and prayed. The devil wasn’t just there to tempt Jesus in the wilderness; He was there each time Jesus prayed. The devil sits with us too. God is the Father of the secrets and sees in secret, but He is not there as a spy. The Lord is our shepherd and He keeps the sheep from trouble. By sharing our secret self, we allow and invite God to know us. He keeps us from feeling alone even in our secret times. Hebrews reminds us we are NEVER alone. He accompanies us to the secret places and holds our hand when we need it. He reaches out to us. He helps like no other can. If we trust Him in secret, He will reward us openly.
There is nothing better than having God in our secret place, our secret times. His words, His presence, His touch is there. We feel Him. Heaven forbid that we would ever ask God to leave us alone. Being with God as the Father in secret is where we want to be. Make Him welcome.
Adwolfe Freewill Baptist Church 