Close the Door

The Lord's Prayer is not a set form that Jesus himself prayed or asked His disciples to pray, but it illustrates the type of prayer that provides a pattern for properly ordering the priorities of the kingdom; first God, then human needs. In Matthew chapter 6, Jesus takes the disciples through the different ways many individuals have prayed in the past, and then He draws them into a new type of prayer that is designed to cover them through various seasons of their lives. By covering various aspects of the character of God, and areas of personal supplication, Christians to this day have a pattern of which we can come before God in prayer. It became a different approach to God than the Jews were used to, but an effective way to pray for answered prayer. Then and now the caution is not to get caught up in the ritualized nature of the Lord's Prayer, but rather to embrace the teaching of The Lord's Prayer, to pray in a God centered manner, as opposed to a self-centered way. When Jesus instructs his disciples to pray in their closet He is not necessarily concerned about the place where they pray, but He is more concerned about them drawing attention to their self-righteousness as they pray. In this instance Jesus is directing His disciples to a place of privacy (intimacy). The intimacy of your relationship with God is built behind closed doors where there is no restriction, no interruption, and no distraction from other people. Your closet is not only a secret place but it is also a safe space for you where you can feel confident that you will not be exposed to the discrimination, criticism, or physical harm of others. What happens in the closet stays in the closet Why? Because some of the things you struggle with in life, many people aren't mature enough to be privileged, to be present, to watch you press, through your proclivities. Some things you can't tell your prayer partner, you can't tell your spouse, and you can't tell your best friend. They just would not understand. Therefore you have to close the door. As we enter into our prayer closets and close the door, in a time of communion and holy concealment with God, putting our petitions before Him, and pouring out our heart and soul and our needs, we will see the manifestation of answered prayers. Included in this book is: -The Lord's Prayer Comparison Outline Chart-The Lord's Prayer Bible Study with A Teaching Guide-The Call To Prayer-Focused Scriptures