A Daily Private Prayer

There are times when we pray in public, like during a prayer meeting where we corporately pray as a church for specific requests. When we pray to minister to a friend, family member, or even a stranger, it also means praying in public. The same goes for when we start and end our Bible study, ministry, and other group activities. These are all wonderful tasks, but valuing our private prayer life with the Lord is also important. Prayer is where we commune with God.

Father in heaven, just as I faithfully pray outside when doing church activities and ministry, may I also be faithful and diligent regarding my private prayer time with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

He Who Sees in Secret

We can see the value of praying in private from the life of Christ. In Mark 1:35, we see Jesus rising up early in the morning, going to a place of solitude, and praying to the Father. Matthew 14:23 also shows us that after feeding the five thousand, Jesus sent the multitudes away, went to the mountain to pray, and was there alone. Jesus is the supreme example of how we ought to live our lives as we pursue to be Christlike—so if Jesus made time for private prayer, we should make it our mission to do the same.

Prayer is our means of communication with God. It is how we commune with Him. We pray because we are dependent upon God. Our bad days are not so bad, nor are our good days so good that we are beyond the need for God’s grace and mercy. In other words, in every circumstance, we are to depend on God for everything. We can depend on God by always coming to Him in prayer. That is why (Hebrews 4:16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.) states that in Christ, we have the confidence to approach God’s throne of grace and ask for grace and mercy in times of need.

However, apart from being dependent upon God, we pray because it is in our private prayer with God that we receive a great reward: intimacy with Him. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus teaches us that when we pray, we go into our room, shut the door, and pray to our Father, who is in secret. And our Father, who sees us in secret, will reward us. The passage teaches us that when our genuine desire is to pray and seek God—not to make ourselves look good in public—God rewards us for it. But this isn’t the only reward we receive. Scholars would also say the passage refers to another prize: the intimacy we earn with God as we pray privately in solitude.

Just like a husband values and looks forward to spending time with his wife after a busy day, we should also look forward to praying privately and being intimate with God.

Setting a Private Time for Prayer

Given the importance of praying privately, how do we do it? We can learn from the Scripture. Again in Matthew 14:23 and (Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.), we can see that Jesus was intentional in prioritizing private prayer to the Father. We can do the same—in fact, this is the first step to take. We can accomplish this practically by setting aside a specific time during the day, going to a quiet place where we will surely be undisturbed, and committing to privately praying to God. The number of prayers per day is up to you; you can pray once, twice, or however many times you’d like. This is your personal choice for your personal relationship with God. If you desire to develop a habit of praying multiple times a day, it’s a good idea to start small. Be consistent first by accomplishing your daily private prayer once a day, and then move on to higher goals.

Heavenly Father, give me the grace to be faithful, diligent, and consistent with my private prayer time with You. I thank You because I receive grace upon grace every moment I spend in solitude with You. In Jesus’ name, I pray. Amen.

As you’re trying to develop the habit of spending solitude with God in private prayer, ask the Holy Spirit for the strength and power to be able to do so. You can develop such discipline through Christ, who strengthens you (Philippians 4:13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.).