“Being alone with God, you can fully be yourself.”- John Ortberg
“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
In Chapter 15 of The Me I Want to Be, John Ortberg states God wants to give us sanctuary. Yet, we all prefer a unique way to experience God’s presence when we’re alone.
Commenting on Matthew 6:6, Pastor Ortberg suggests the room Jesus refers to might be a supply room- certainly not a private bedroom. The supply room held food and tools or a few small animals. Thus, the supply room = the most humble room in a humble house.
When Jesus was baptized, Luke tells us, the Holy Spirit descended upon Jesus as He prayed. Hence, John notes, the flow of the Spirit connects closely to prayer. Consequently, Jesus desired to pray when He:
- felt crowded and drained by life
- faced important choices
- felt sad or frightened
- needed strength for His work
- worried about people He loved
- faced an insurmountable problem
Therefore, when we desire to pray much, or deeply, we must move from what we think we should do toward what we want to do.
For Jesus, prayer energized, rather than drained, Him. As we see God’s face shining on us, the same holds true for our prayer life. Just as you gain energy when you meet with your best earthly friend, God wants to meet with us in the same way.
As Pastor Ortberg reminds us, prayer, more than any other single activity, places us in the flow of the Spirit.
Today’s question: What prayer ‘room’ fosters your ability to be alone with God – fully yourself? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Our capacity for connectedness”
