Since Jesus likened our secret prayer space to being in a closet, then it might be worth exploring what items are actually in our closets that can reflect our secret place of prayer (Matthew 6:6). For the most part, closets are for storage—a place holder for items we don’t want displayed in the open or for public viewing. For some of us, our closets are highly organized and for others total chaos. Regardless, what we have in our closets can be representative of what we have in our hearts therefore giving indicators to what’s in our prayer space. If you’re like me, you have old clothes and shoes you can’t wear anymore, current clothes and shoes you wear quite frequently, and new clothes and shoes you plan to wear one day. I contend that if we take inventory of these old, current, and new items, we might just find out what we need to clean out in order to balance out your prayer life.
Old Items Can Reflect Old Prayers: These are the items I don’t want to throw out because I may wear them again one day. Regardless of my reasons (I plan to lose weight or they hold some sentimental nostalgia for me), they’re not fulfilling their purpose and therefore are unfruitful for me. Our prayers can be this way as well. These are the prayers that were effective back when we were babes in Christ, new Christians, or going through a challenge we’ve since conquered. Even though they don’t fit our situations today, we want to keep praying these prayers because they’re comfortable and if they worked back then, they’ll work now. God is calling us to higher heights and deeper depths. We should be growing and getting better and stronger at being who He called us to be. We should be open to the “new thing” God is doing in our lives, not holding on to the old just in case it might one day fit again. (1 Corinthians 2:9)
Current Items Can Reflect Common Prayers: We have items we are very comfortable wearing. We can choose an outfit without thinking and just pull out what goes with what because we do it so often. These items can reflect those prayers we pray without giving them much thought. It doesn’t mean that these are ineffectual prayers, but they can become so common that we lose our awe and wonder in our prayer time with God. Let us be open to the wondrous awe of God’s power and presence—even with the everyday common things we experience. God is always awesome! (Psalms 139)
New Items Can Reflect Prayers We Plan to Live: These closet items reflect our prayers of aspiration, but we haven’t embraced the courage to walk in the faith that is required for those prayers to come to fruition. These prayers might include becoming debt free, losing 50 lbs, complete healing from an illness, or trusting God to heal relationships in our family. We can pray them, but we‘re not ready to wear them. In other words, we can pray it in secret, but we’re not yet willing to let anyone hear us proclaim or show that we truly believe what we’ve secretly prayed. This doesn't mean we have to tell everyone every secret prayer, but we should be willing to proclaim what we've prayed in the appropriate settings. Let us claim our courage and speak those things as though they were. (Romans 4:17)
When you consider these three types of closet items (old, current, and new) you can imagine how easily the space can become cluttered or limiting—even if it is organized clutter. These representations are things I considered for my prayer life and secret space with God. Hopefully, we can all re-examine our closet space in a new light and take action to ensure that it is representative of what we want our prayer lives to be.
Challenge: Review your actual and spiritual closet, and in your heart, determine the extent to which it represents your secret space and prayer life with God. If you need to throw out some things, do it. God has an infinite supply of everything we need—even prayers we should pray and the necessary faith to live them out.