Closet Prayer notes. Jesus began His teaching about prayer by telling us “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray…” (KJV). Did He mean shut ourselves in a literal closet to pray. Of course not. We’ll take a look at other translations, do a Greek word study, and look at the context. That’s how I study Scriptures, but the emphasis is why “closet prayer” is vital. It’s importance is why Jesus began teaching about prayer by instructing us to “enter into thy closet.”
Closet Prayer
by Delbert Young
I’m titling this lesson on prayer “Closet Prayer.” I think calling it closet prayer will help the thought stick and resonate with us. At the end of the lesson when someone refers to “closet prayer,” or going into your closet to pray, you should immediately know about what they’re speaking. Let’s look at the Scripture where Jesus taught this.
Scripture
(KJV) Matthew 6:6 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.
I always like to read Scriptures in modern translations. Modern translations put difficult to understand wording from the King James Version time into wording we can better understand. My personal favorite is the New International Version. The reason is it was written by many Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic scholars and not one person’s interpretation. Here is a quote from Wikipedia.
“A team of 15 biblical scholars, representing a variety of evangelical denominations,[5] worked from the oldest copies of reliable texts, variously written in Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek,” says Wikipedia.
So, it’s not one person’s interpretation of a word. It’s a consolidation of several scholars who understood the language. Let’s read the same verse from the NIV.
(NIV) Matthew 6:6 But WHEN YOU PRAY, GO INTO YOUR ROOM, CLOSE THE DOOR AND PRAY to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Closet Prayer
Greek word study
My being an extremely inquisitive person when it comes to Scriptures, I need to know what the Greek word translated “closet” in the KJV and “room” in the NIV translations actually means, so let’s take a look at it.
It’s the Greek word tameion pronounced tam-i’-on.
The word means:
(1) a storage chamber, storeroom
(2) a chamber esp. an inner chamber
(3) a secret room
The word tameion is found 4 times in the entire New Testament and translated three different ways. (For this reason we also need to look at the context.) The word is translated as closet 2 times, secret chamber 1 time, and storehouse 1 time in the King James Version.
Context
Since there’s only four Scriptures using the word tameion, let’s look at the other Scriptures where the word is used and then look again at our Matthew 6:6 Scripture for context.
(KJV) Matthew 24:26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
(NIV) Matthew 24:26 “So if anyone tells you, ‘There he is, out in the desert,’ do not go out; or, ‘Here he is, in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
The context of the above Scripture is Jesus answering His disciples question about the destruction of the Jewish Temple which happened in 70 AD, i.e. “Great Tribulation (Mat 24:21). There would be many saying they were the Christ. Some would say Christ in in some “secret chambers” or “inner rooms” (same Greek word).
(KJV) Luke 12:3 Therefore whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops.
(NIV) Luke 12:3 What you have said in the dark will be heard in the daylight, and what you have whispered in the ear in the inner rooms will be proclaimed from the roofs.
The context in the above verse was Jesus teaching a huge multitude of people about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees. Their hypocrisy would be uncovered even things said in the secrecy of their “closets” or “inner rooms” (same word) would be revealed.
(KJV) Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap; which neither have storehouse nor barn; and God feedeth them: how much more are ye better than the fowls?
(NIV) Luke 12:24 Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!
The context of this passage was Jesus teaching about not worrying or being anxious about anything. Ravens (birds) do not have a “storehouse” or “storeroom” (same word translated “closet” in Matthew 6:6), “yet God feeds them.”
Closet Prayer
(KJV) Matthew 6:6 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.
(NIV) Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
The context in our Scripture is (1) The Sermon on the Mount. Jesus was giving quick principle after principle about how His kingdom works. He says things like, “You’ve heard it said do it this way… but I say to you…” He really changed how people thought and what they should do in this sermon. 2) This principle is prayer. 3) Jesus compared how other people/religions, i.e. “pagans” pray to how we are to pray in the kingdom. The next two verses give us more context.
(NIV) Matthew 6:6-8 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
What have we learned?
What do we learn from all this? We see the thought of tameion is 1) “thy closet” or “your room.” It’s your place to pray, and it’s a private secret place. It’s a place where you are able to speak privately and secretly. 2) Also, we see a most interesting thought. It’s a place where we “storehouse.” Isn’t this interesting. Well, it is to me because I’ve never noticed this before until doing this study for us.
It’s my place and it’s my storehouse where I store up my relationship with Father. So prayer is not just asking for stuff or help. It’s developing a private relationship with the Father.
A storehouse is where we go when we need something refilled. The Father isn’t God way out there. He’s as close as my storehouse ready to hear my secrets privately and to refill my soul. (I’ve never said the “storehouse” part before, so I’m searching for a way to say it. But, I think you understand what I mean.)
Let’s add the New Living Translation (note it is a translation and not a paraphrase – a translation is actually translating a word according to definition, a paraphrase is someone rewording it the way they interpret).
Matthew 6:6 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.
Closet Prayer
With those thoughts, i.e. Greek word definitions and context, we can see the Lord’s first teaching about prayer is have our own private place which becomes an increasing relationship storehouse with the Father where we feel comfortable talking to Him about even our deep secrets. Closet prayer is in contrast to praying openly or publicly where we can get caught up in pagan prayer and concerned about how we sound to people and say meaningless babble.
It’s also in contrast to corporate prayer. Corporate prayer is when people join together with others to pray. Nothing is wrong with corporate prayer. The disciples and others joined together in corporate prayer, but this isn’t what Jesus emphasized here, or ever that I recall. He did say “That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven” (Mat 18:19), but Jesus wasn’t talking about prayer. He was actually talking about forgiveness and how a church should handle a person who refuses to forgive.
My point is Jesus taught “closet prayer.” This type prayer is not public prayer. It’s private prayer. It’s a place where we can be alone with Father and feel safe to reveal our deep secrets as we storehouse our personal relationship with the Father. In this place we’re not trying to be eloquent or feel we need to speak in King James English. Our minds and focus will be on Father and not concerned about what people think if I don’t use correct words. We can simply be who we are since Father knows what we want before we ask anyway.
This is what Jesus Himself did.
Very few times did Jesus pray publicly, however He did closet prayer daily. Jesus would go off to His closet and pray, teach and work miracles, and then go off alone to His closet and pray again, then go teach and do miracles again, and on this went.
Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”
Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Closet Prayer
Jesus had “a certain place,” or “a solitary place,” where He’d prayed closet prayer. It wasn’t He didn’t want anyone to hear what He prayed. Well, maybe it was now I think about it. Maybe that’s when Jesus released His frustrations with people. It’s where we should also rather than releasing them to people. I do know this. Jesus wanted to be able to storehouse Father. It was His storehouse. He’d refuel His soul in closet prayer.
CONCLUSION
Do you have a “closet”? I’m suspecting you do. Where is your secret place and storehouse? My closet has changed locations over the years. When I first came into the kingdom of God it was my bedroom at home and a metal folding chair in a back office at work. In the ministry, it was my study or walking and praying in our auditorium. Today it’s our balcony at our condo at night before I go to bed. Where’s yours?
I believe there are some requirements for the closet place.
1) A private place where you will not be disturbed or distracted by people, noise, phone (leave the thing someplace until you’re finished).
It’s a place where you won’t fall asleep. Don’t mishear me, because I think it’s wonderful to pray yourself to sleep, but that’s not closet prayer.
I said my closet is our balcony. I not only shut the doors. Also I close the curtains. From where I sit, I can see the TV and anything going on inside if the curtains are open. Closing the curtains eliminates that distraction. It also tells anyone here I want to be alone so don’t disturb me. I make it so I can focus only on the Lord and I can literally talk, not think, to Him. I feel this is necessary for me.
Closet Prayer
2) A place where you can literally talk to the Father. I mean actually SAY WORDS out loud.
No place do the Scriptures instruct us to “think” prayers. Here’s what Jesus said.
Luke 11:2 And he said unto them, WHEN YE PRAY, SAY, Our Father which art in heaven…
Your closet needs to be a place where you can actually talk out loud. You need to hear you say it. Hearing it will develop belief in you. Words are powerful and release an unseen creative force. We’ll talk about this further in a different lesson.
Closet Prayer
3) What you talk to Father about is between you and the Father.
Another reason and requirement for closet prayer is secrecy. Let’s look at our opening closet prayer verse one more time.
(KJV) Matthew 6:6 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.
(NIV) Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and PRAY TO YOUR FATHER, WHO IS UNSEEN. THEN YOUR FATHER, WHO SEES WHAT IS DONE IN SECRET, will reward you.
I talk to Father about private matters, i.e. “secrets,” maybe even my sins. Parts of my prayer concern things I don’t want anyone else to hear, and I mean no one! It’s secret. Father will keep it secret. That’s how He sees it. We’ll talk about this further later also. Father knows my sins. They are secrets between Him and me. I really need a closet to do this. So do you.
Open reward
(KJV) Matthew 6:6 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.
(NIV) Matthew 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, WILL REWARD YOU.
Notice there is a reward when we do this. What! When we do things the Lord’s ways He always rewards us, but this is a special or open reward. Jesus promised us if we will create a time of “closet prayer” in a place we can call our own secret place, and there develop a relationship with our Father by praying (talking) to Him about even our deep secrets, Father, who even knows our deepest secrets, will reward us with a special reward.
Maybe think of this as one of your children wants to spend a special day alone with you. You will most likely do something special for that child and probably quickly. Makes me want to go to my closet right now.
That’s enough for this lesson.
My hope and prayer is I’ve given you thoughts to enhance your prayer life and make it more purposeful and meaningful. This is where Jesus began teaching about prayer, so it’s a good place for us to begin. I hope you’ve seen the importance of closet prayer and why Jesus began His teaching about kingdom prayer with, “But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father which is in secret, and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly” (Matthew 6:6).
Closet Prayer notes
Closet Prayer notes
Related messages:
Seed Growing in Secret audio video notes
Prayer – Altar Of Incense Audio
Giving in the Kingdom audio video notes
Lord Teach Us To Pray pt 1 sermon video
Pride and the Secret of Humility
Also see: