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Articles
Quiet Place
One of my generation’s greatest struggles will always be the ability to find a quiet place in their daily routines. We live in a world of constant rush that seemingly has us always moving from one appointment to the next. In this busy lifestyle, the only time we have to sit down and relax is generally late at night, but our staying awake does not last very long. Eventually, our spouse prompts us to go to bed, or just out of sleep depravation, we make the journey to the bed to catch a few hours of rest before awaking and starting it all over again. We want to spend time prior to going to sleep in prayer with God, but our prayers are short-lived and are ended with our snoring. Does this daily routine sound familiar?
Our busy lives can take from us one of the most precious gifts given to man, prayer. While prayers can be spoken in various places and at various times, it is in the quiet places of our homes that we can give full attention to our Father and everything He has done. This is the very purpose of Jesus’ teaching on the Sermon on the Mount -
5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 6 “But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in secret will reward you (Matthew 6:5-6).
Our attitude toward prayer should be more than just the few minutes prior to meals, in between appointments, or only prior to big decisions. Prayer should be something that has its own appointment and time for quiet reflection and mediation.
Jesus instructed His listeners not to to be like the hypocrites, but rather to withdraw from their busy lives and enter into the quiet recesses of their homes to pray. In the quiet places, we can truly reflect upon the great blessings that God has bestowed upon us. We can begin to innumerate all the physical and spiritual blessings that we receive from the grace of our Father. Jesus said, “Pray, then, in this way: Our Father who is in heaven…” (Matthew 6:9a). Can anyone of us imagine what life would be without being able to pray to our Father? The emphasis of the Father desiring to listen and hear His children can be found throughout the Bible. The Psalmist wrote -
15 The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous And His ears are open to their cry. 16 The face of the Lord is against evildoers, To cut off the memory of them from the earth. 17 The righteous cry, and the Lord hears And delivers them out of all their troubles. 18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit (34:15-18).
When was the last time we prayed an entire prayer thanking God for simply listening to our concerns and desires?
When we read through the Psalms, we should be struck by the beautiful language that is used to convey praise and adoration toward God. The Psalmists give us words and thoughts that should motivate our prayers to become deeper in meaning and in actual practice, but again this process will take time. For us to achieve the depth presented in many of the Psalms, we must be willing to break away from our busy schedules, go into our “prayer closet,” and put into action the desire to draw nearer to God through prayer.
One of my generation’s greatest weaknesses is the neglect of prayer. We have leaned upon the Lord in times of despair and distress, but in the better days how often have we forgotten to give Him thanks? Prayer is a blessing with endless possibilities, but one must give time and consideration to receive its greatest potential. Jesus told His listeners to “go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father.” May we accept the challenge to find our quiet place in life and pour out our hearts in thanksgiving to our Father. Close the door to this world and all its rush; give time to prayer with God!
