Hey Advent Family.

This week’s devotional will be a deeper dive into this weekend’s message which I encourage you to listen to on our YouTube channel or our Facebook if you didn’t get a chance to be here in person. Let’s look deeper at praying with all your soul.

Matthew 6:5-6

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 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.”

Jesus teaches that prayer is not about impressing others but about intimacy with God. The Pharisees prayed for show, but true prayer happens in a place of humility and sincerity. When we pray with all our soul, we seek God’s presence, not human recognition. When Jesus says that you should go to your “closet”, it not only means doing it in secret, it also has another meaning, in the Greek the word for closet was used for an innermost room, a storeroom where you would store your most valuables in your home.  The concept of intimacy with God also hits home when you realize that those hearing these words in Jesus’ day would have understood that Jesus was also alluding to how valuable this intimate time with God is. The reward we get in prayer is a rich and valuable time with our heavenly Father!

Try this

• Find a quiet place today to pray without distractions.
• Focus on talking to God, don’t worry about how you sound, He already does. 
• Ask yourself: Why am I praying? It is to check off a list? Or is it to spend intimate time with my heavenly Father? 

Let’s Pray together:  Father, help me to pray with sincerity, not for attention. Let my heart long for Your presence and not the approval of others. Teach me to pray with all my heart, mind and soul. And let me relish in the valuable riches of spending intimate time with you. In Jesus name Amen.

And don’t forget,

Jesus Loves you, and so do I

Pastor Will