I will not be unmannerly, but I will be forthright. Intimate encounters are not intended for public display. The coming together of a man and wife is a private celebration of something uniquely shared by the couple in question.
Prayer is intimate in a way that requires privacy.
The Master taught us the way:
“But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:6 KJV)
But when thou, not if thou, prayest!
When you pray, close your door.
Shut out the noise, even the good and positive voices that cheer you on, and let your the bubbling froth of stimulation and activity subside.
Bring your heart close and become aware of your bigger, more beautiful self. The man or woman cleansed and clothed with righteousness. And from that foundation of set-apart holiness begin your adventure.
I have been asked how one might learn to pray, to which there is only one effective answer.
Pray.
Prayer is learned by praying.
There is no school or college that can teach you the keys to intimacy.
Prayer is not learned in the schoolroom, it is learned in the upper room!
The junction we arrive at when we want to become more skilled in prayer quite aptly brings two worlds together – the vast invisible world of spirit and the tangible time-tyranny of natural day.
To enter the eternal requires that you commit your time, and a physical space, to the actual practice of praying.
For me in my early days of imperfect devotion, this meant clearing my room of all distractions, literally locking the door, and telling myself I would not be allowed to leave for the next hour.
It soon became apparent to my stubborn flesh that I meant business, and rather than face the terrors of boredom, both body and soul stepped into agreement and we began to seek God according to the instructions:
“And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.” (Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV)
Prayer is a whole-hearted, whole-souled, whole-bodied exercise.
Every part of your being must exert itself in pursuit of your prize.
I promise you when you approach prayer in this manner it will take on a nature that compels you to continue, and the hunger will never wane.
