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
“Blessed Saviour! With my whole heart I do bless Thee for the appointment of the inner chamber, as the school where Thou meetest each of Thy pupils alone, and revealest to him the Father. O my Lord! strengthen my faith so in the Father’s tender love and kindness, that as often as I feel sinful or troubled, the first instinctive thought may be to go where I know the Father waits me, and where prayer never can go unblessed. Let the thought that He knows my need before I ask, bring me, in great restfulness of faith, to trust that He will give what His child requires. O let the place of secret prayer become to me the most beloved spot of earth.”
Andrew Murray (1828-1917) in With Christ in the School of Prayer (New York: Fleming H. Revell, 1895) excerpt from “Lord Teach us to Pray” in lesson three.
Ever feel overwhelmed? There’s more work to do than hours in the day. You don’t even know where to start. All of us have felt that way. I do right now.
And, since we are being vulnerable, perhaps your response to stress leans toward sinful reactions or maybe you stuff it inside and have a troubled spirit.
Welcome to being human. In my case I try to figure everything out, and I have learned that I must give it all to God and ask Him to sort it.
Where do you go in challenging times? Our “first instinctive” must be to go to the secret place of prayer. It’s at the intersection of generosity and kindness.
Only there do we find reward! What will the reward be? I can tell you with confidence. It may not be what you expect, but it will be what God knows you need.
Go there, so you know the way to point others. There are many stressed out and overwhelmed people out there who may need directions.
For those who prayed for my board meetings up here on Whidbey Island, thanks for your gift of intercession! We made much progress over the two days.
Should you tackle a task like starting an organization, set up camp in the secret place of prayer. Set everything before God and see what happens.
We did not envision how things would go and yet God knit our hearts with His heart. We learned that we need to go slow to go fast. And to keep praying.
We left with unity to pursue a long list of objectives and to make preparations for an exciting future that appears to be unfolding before our eyes. More on this later.