The Secret Place: More Than “Praying on the Run”
Scripture
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
— Matthew 6:6 (ESV)
Devotion
In the sermon, the pastor got very specific: “Do you have a place of retreat? I’m not talking about driving to work or riding home from work… I’m talking about a place out of your normal hours… where you retreat from the world and retreat inside that secret place.”
He confessed how he personally “prostituted out” his secret place—answering calls, making deals, letting distractions invade what should have been holy space. That’s not condemnation; it’s a warning we all need.
Jesus teaches the same thing. “Go into your room, shut the door.” That may not literally be a room for you—it could be a chair, a corner, a spot in nature—but the principle is the same: set apart, undistracted, intentional.
The promise is powerful: “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” The reward is His voice, His presence, His guidance, His peace, His correction, His love. In the secret place He rescues, covers, protects, and re‑centers you.
If you want a different “place” in life, you need a different “place” with God.
Reflection
Prayer
Father,
Teach me to value the secret place the way You do. Show me where and when to meet with You daily. Give me grace to shut the door on distractions and open my heart wide to You. May this become the place where You reshape my thoughts, heal my wounds, and direct my steps. Reward me not with things, but with more of Yourself.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
— Matthew 6:6 (ESV)
Devotion
In the sermon, the pastor got very specific: “Do you have a place of retreat? I’m not talking about driving to work or riding home from work… I’m talking about a place out of your normal hours… where you retreat from the world and retreat inside that secret place.”
He confessed how he personally “prostituted out” his secret place—answering calls, making deals, letting distractions invade what should have been holy space. That’s not condemnation; it’s a warning we all need.
Jesus teaches the same thing. “Go into your room, shut the door.” That may not literally be a room for you—it could be a chair, a corner, a spot in nature—but the principle is the same: set apart, undistracted, intentional.
The promise is powerful: “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you.” The reward is His voice, His presence, His guidance, His peace, His correction, His love. In the secret place He rescues, covers, protects, and re‑centers you.
If you want a different “place” in life, you need a different “place” with God.
Reflection
- Do you have a consistent, physical “secret place” where you meet with God? If not, where could it be?
- What’s one practical distraction you need to eliminate from that time (phone off, door closed, etc.)?
- How long, realistically, can you commit to daily in this season—10, 15, 20 minutes?
Prayer
Father,
Teach me to value the secret place the way You do. Show me where and when to meet with You daily. Give me grace to shut the door on distractions and open my heart wide to You. May this become the place where You reshape my thoughts, heal my wounds, and direct my steps. Reward me not with things, but with more of Yourself.
In Jesus’ name, Amen.