Matthew 6:6 says, “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.”

 

The other day we were walking into the grocery store. Callie pointed to a guy walking in the parking lot and asked, “Mommy, who’s that guy?” I said, “I don’t know who that is.”  Then she pointed to a lady and asked, “Mom, who’s that lady?” I told her I didn’t know her either. She asked, “Well, why don’t you know them?”

For a brief moment, I wondered. How it would be if I did know the majority of people I encountered? What if the people I saw knew me? What would it be like to be well-known by the masses?

The Lord has been teaching me some things about prayer. “Prayer” is the word that I am focusing on this year. I heard a message a while back at church by Jim Shaddix and he shared that we need to carve out time in our lives for sacrificial prayer. Time to get alone with God. Time to sit at His feet. Time where prayer isn’t rushed. There’s no deadline, no period. Time to just enjoy communion and conversation with the Lord. Time that is more about a relationship than just getting through a prayer list.

I thought I was doing pretty good with this whole “prayer” thing. I would go through my prayer list. Check! But I had not been taking time to “get away” to spend unrushed, unhurried time with the Lord.

These past few weeks I’ve been trying to be more diligent about spending time alone with God. Since I’m a night owl, I wait until everyone is settled down for the night. I turn out all the lights and go sit in my favorite chair in the living room (with my little heater and blanket, of course). There in the darkness I look out the window and pray. I just talk to the Lord. I tell Him whatever comes to my mind. I tell Him about my day, conversations I’ve had with people I’ve encountered. I ask for wisdom with situations in my marriage, parenting, job. Sometimes I say a lot. Sometimes I don’t.

I cannot begin to tell you how greatly this time of prayer is impacting my life.

I’m learning that the goal of prayer is a relationship with God!

In order to have a relationship with someone, we have to spend TIME with them.

 

Then it struck me as I was reflecting on my conversation with Callie at the grocery store.

The depth of the impact of our lives will not come from being popular or well known by lots of people. The eternal impact of our lives will be a direct result of the time we spend alone with God! 

Our greatest ministry, influence, and success will come out of the secret place of prayer! 

So I guess the saying is right. It IS about WHO you know!

May we seek to live our lives before an audience of ONE!

Because that’s all that truly matters!