I don't know about you, but some people just feel like walking up to a rail, bus or plane ticket office and ordering a ticket to anywhere. They are so rung out the destination is unimportant. They don't care where they end up, they just want to get away from it all for a while. Do you sometimes feel like that? I think we've all had those days. It's not about the grass being greener elsewhere, because we don't want to go permanently. We just need some solitude to let the pressure off—let the steam out. Let the mind rest. Jesus often went to the mountains without others, and sometimes the seaside. Like getting a regular massage for tired muscles, Jesus knew He needed solitude, a time for meeting exclusively with His Father. These breaks had several beneficial effects. He got His mind and body to rest. He communed with His Father in peace. He spoke and listened, and returned to life refreshed. The secret was in the regularity, the consistency. If we are regular with the Lord's wisdom, we will find we don't need to go the mountains, nor do we need to 'buy a ticket to anywhere.' Matthew 6:6 provides the advice that allows us the same solitude as Jesus enjoyed. Ok, we won't smell the sea or fresh mountain air as He did, but we will get to enjoy our peace. Our mind will rest, our bodies will rejuvenate for a time, and our demeanour when we return will be more pleasant and peaceful. Jesus HImself instructs us. "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." Our mental strain and tiredness and those "I just need to get away" feelings can be extraordinarily reduced by regular closet prayer. Closet prayer is not the prayer at the kitchen table with the family. It is the "Me time" prayer. Most of us have seen the movie War Room. The secret to that elderly lady's peace and wisdom was her regular prayer In the closet. Despite living alone, she still maintained her closet prayer. If you do not have regular closet prayer, try this method for 28 days and feel the changes in your mind, experience the flowing peace, and enjoy a deeper relationship with the Father. A further benefit is that as you pray for others, the natural consequence is that you will develop a closer, stronger love for them as well.
Today's prayer: Dear Lord, I haven't been consistent with my closet prayer—my quiet alone time with you to specifically pray and enjoy your presence. Help me complete my 28 days and commit to consistent closet prayer life, so I can enjoy, as Jesus did, the marvels of being alone with you in peace. Thank you.
Photo by Juan Encalada
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