Shut the Door

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6, New King James Version).

Some people cannot tolerate silence. It seems that every waking moment must be filled with some type of noise. They certainly can’t sit in a room with another person very long without filling the silence with talk. They have never learned that silence can be refreshing and restful.

Our world is noisy. Unless you live in a wilderness area, your day is filled with the sounds of traffic, equipment humming, notifications on your cell phone dinging, and dogs barking. Even as I write this, the sound of a lawnmower drifts through my window. There is even something called white noise that is used to mask other sounds—noise cancels noise. Or if you prefer something with a little more color, there is pink noise and brown noise. (I’ll let you research those.)

Noise can be stressful and can affect our health. Noise is also detrimental to our spiritual health as it drowns out the still, small voice of the Lord (1 Kings 19:12). We can only hear God’s voice when we wait quietly and invite Him to speak to us. Matthew 6:6 tells us that when we pray, we are to enter our room and shut the door. This signifies our shutting out life’s noises and distractions while we meet with our Savior. So today–and every day–determine that you will find a quiet place, shut the door, and listen for God to speak to your heart.

Prayer: Lord, help me to surround myself with silence so I can hear Your voice. You have wonderful things to share with me, and I want to hear Your every word.

Devotion by Mary Loudermilk