3rd January
EVENING CONTEMPLATION
TOPIC: ENTER THY CLOSET
TEXT: MATT. 6:5-6
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward/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.''
Whatever is done for the sole intention of meeting the eyes of men--to draw praise and admiration from fellow men, has no record and reckon with God; in a way, if aught be done to attrack approbation from creature, such is not known to God. It looks as if admiration from men stalls reward from God; applause of men prevents God's reward for a duty done: 'they have recieved their reward already.' why? Because the duty was done so 'that they may be seen of men...' and consquently praised and talked well of. Secret duties, such as prayer, charity &c. done deliberately away from the eyes of men, are considered by God as the most sacred and puriest of duties, in that they are devoid of hypocrisy and ostentation. Prayer done alone in the dead of the night and out of ear-shot of any man, refreshes and wins with God than one done in general gathering. It is a fact: no public godly duty is devoid of the finger prints of show, ostentation and a deep-sitted desire to impress: the natural man loves to be seen, acknowledged and praised in religious duties. Witness the craze for photograph on religious hand bills; tittle-freakness; desire to appear acceptable and image laundering within the Christian community: all these are ensigns of ostentation and vain glory. Expirience has shown that private prayer is the most potent kind of prayers, it is the prevy key into heaven. Would saints not accept that applause from men can earn a man years of exile? Witness a man like David, it was the ovation given to him that turned Saul's javelin against him. 'And it came to pass as they came, when David was returned from the slaughter of the Philistine, that the women came out of all cities of Israel, singing and dancing, to meet king Saul, with tabrets, with joy, and with instruments of musick./And the women answered one another as they played, and said, Saul hath slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands./And Saul was very wroth, and the saying displeased him; and he said, They have ascribed unto David ten thousands, and to me they have ascribed but thousands: and what can he have more but the kingdom?/And Saul eyed David from that day and forward.'' 1 Sam. 18:6-9. So, a saints that understans the doctrines or teachings of Christ, would desire no duty except one done with eyes on God alone, else he loses his reward; he knows that his master did more private prayer than public. Jesus was frequently retreating into the wilderness and desert or mountain to be alone with God. Oh that we see ever more that the only way to benefit from prayer is to have it done before God in the spirit of privacy and sincerity. Saints should observe that ostentation in prayer, praying to meet the eyes of men, robes their prayers of power and the desired result.
Prayer: Mighty God, save my heart from a mobid desire to show; and help me to see that man's applause is a trap to my duties to you. Let my motto be: 'No show, no ostentation!'
Amen!