“Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As He finished, one of His disciples came to Him and said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples’” (Luke 11:1)
In yesterday’s devotion, we read about Daniel kneeling down in an upstairs room with his window open facing Jerusalem. He prayed in the direction of that city because it was known as a city of God. There is no doubt that Daniel found comfort and strength in looking and praying in that location. Throughout the Bible, we see many different people praying to the Lord from many different locations. Jonah prayed from the belly of a fish. Peter prayed from the roof of a house. Hezekiah prayed from his bed of affliction. Hagar prayed from the wilderness. Paul and Silas prayed while chained in prison. Most of these places of prayer were where emergency prayers for help were cried out.
Prayer need never be relegated to one location, but it can help our prayer lives if we choose a definite place where we can meet with God on a regular basis. In New Testament times many Jewish believers had a special room, like a porch or a place on the flat roof of their home, which they used for prayer. There’s no doubt that they were convinced of the importance of private prayer. In a similar manner, every Christian today needs to have a special place to pray which lends itself to meeting with God. Even Jesus needed time alone with His heavenly Father and He found many special places for His prayers. The Bible tells us that He prayed in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-2), He prayed on mountaintops (Luke 6:12); He prayed in lonely places (Matthew 14:13); He prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane on the Mount of Olives (Luke 22:39).
Joel Comiskey, in his book Grow, writes “Just as Jesus left the noise of the multitude to seek the Father, I would urge you (as much as possible) to leave behind the noise of work, ministry and family in order to seek God. We can’t expect to enter into the holy presence of God while sitting in front of the TV, being interrupted by telephone calls or driving in the car on the way to work.” When His disciples asked Him to teach them to pray, Jesus said, “But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.” (Matthew 6:6) A special prayer place helps us shut out distractions and focus on the Lord. The word in Greek that Jesus uses for room is tameon. It refers to the room in the temple where treasure was stored. When we enter that place and seek the Lord, He reveals His riches to us and fills us with His spirit.
Followup Activity - Think about all of the places you have available to you in which to pray. Is there one that stands out to you as a place free of distractions where you are free to worship the Lord? If so, that’s great. If not, make a list of two or three potential places. If you are leading your family through this devotion, lead each member to select their own private place of prayer where they can seek the Lord without distractions.
Prayer for Today - Lord, help me find places without distraction where I can meet You regularly. In Jesus’ name, Amen.