Go thee into thy closet

When Jesus teaches about prayer, he encourages us to “enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.”  Matthew 6:6.

I’m sure glad Jesus probably won’t come to my house and say that.

If we pick something up off the floor and don’t know where it goes we shove it in the . . .
a) dining room
b) bathroom
c) closet

If company’s coming and we have to hurry and pick up the house we stuff things in the . . .
a) garage
b) laundry room
c) closet

If we lose something and try to remember where we put it the first place we probably look is in the . . .

a) bathroom
b) storage shed
c) closet

I think what Jesus is saying, at least for me, is I need to get to a quiet place to pray, a place where I won’t have distractions. Not a place to write. But a place where I can be absolutely still and quiet and listen for the voice of God speak to my heart. I won’t be tempted to daydream there. And I won’t be interrupted.

I go into my office (my only “quiet place”) during the day to read or pray or blog. It’s all the way across the house from my  closet. A six-year-old, a three-year-old and a wife keep my mind adrift with their issues and raucous play.

I’m implementing a new routine in search of peace and real quiet time.  I’m planning on going to bed earlier and getting up one hour before the girls get here in the morning for uninterrupted time alone with God.

I’ll let you know if it works. Do any of you struggle with the same thing? I’d be interested in your comments and feedback about your quiet time routine. I need all the help I can get.