The Prayer Closet

A blog reader emailed me after Pastor Ben’s sermon on solitude and silence – and what she had to say was perfectly sandwiched between that topic, and this past Sunday’s sermon on prayer…

She used to have a prayer closet, she said. A literal one, with blankets , books, a Walkman with praise CD’s, and a fluffy pillow. She described it as a “spiritual bubble bath” and declared that once she’d shut off the phone, put on the headphones, and entered her prayer closet to “soak,” the house could have burned down and she’d never have known!

She recalled it all a little wistfully and added, “I sure could use one of those spiritual bubble baths.”

Her email delighted me because I have long toyed with the idea of a prayer room or “closet” in my house… someplace set apart, without a computer or a television or a desk or any reminder of other pursuits… and here was someone who had actually done it! She inspires me to hang onto the dream as I wait for space to clear in my house. Maybe she inspires you to consider something similar as well.

It’s well worth considering. Because what goes on in that prayer closet isn’t just about intercession and praying through prayer lists and fulfilling a promise to pray for a certain amount of time each day. It’s about enjoying God (don’t you think He cherishes that?) and Who He is and how near He is. It’s about building fresh trust as we consider His faithfulness in the past and His power for the present needs. It’s about laying down the heavy loads we’ve shouldered and realizing anew that “His yoke is easy and His burden is light.”

The same blog reader emailed me again… the idea of a spiritual bubble bath is sounding more and more inviting. She’s thinking about emptying out that space, resurrecting that prayer closet, soaking leisurely in His presence in a way she hasn’t for a long time.

Maybe some of the rest of us could follow her example.