Shut Doors, Open Hearts!

Every book or blog on prayer offers advice on the best time to pray, the most suitable place to pray, and the best posture for prayer. But Jesus advised that the best place to pray is the dark storeroom, with the doors shut to make it even darker.

Continuing the sermon on the mount, Jesus criticised the piety of hypocrites for whom piety is for show. In classical Greek literature, hypocrites are stage actors; metaphorically, they are pretenders who act for the praise of others. A modern writer defines us as hypocrites when we “hide ourselves from ourselves by believing that we are what others believe us to be, by becoming engulfed in their opinions about us.”

Jews had fixed times for daily prayer. A pious Jew who wants to keep the prayer times may find himself in a public space, like a road or the marketplace, during prayer time. So, being diligent to keep the prayer time, he may stand in the public space and pray.

“And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward” (Matthew 6:5).

For those pious Jews, prayer time is more important than the purpose of prayer. But Jesus taught that prayer is a personal business between God and the one who prays; it is not for public display.

The word used for “room” means a storeroom in a house or “closet” (KJV), which is usually dark and not frequently visited. Jesus did not mean that we should look for the darkest corner of the house to pray; he meant that we should pray not to draw people’s attention, but to focus on God.

This is the most rewarding prayer. Those who pray in public are rewarded by public applause, but the Lord rewards those who engage in a private, heart-to-heart engagement with him, away from the public gaze. There is no fixed time for prayer; when we are busy, the Lord will wait until we return to solitude for a quality conversation.

Set aside a quiet, private moment today—away from distractions and the eyes of others—and open your heart to God. Make your prayer a sincere, personal conversation where the goal is connection, not attention. Let your devotion be genuine and hidden, trusting that God sees your heart and rewards true, intimate prayer.

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