Seeking for the help of the Lord,
I direct your prayerful attention to the Gospel according to Matthew
chapter 6 and verse 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. Matthew 6 verse 6. What is upon my spirit is prayer. And I want to look at several
points and introduce them as we go. Firstly, when, when we
are to pray. But thou, when, thou prayest. We've heard of how the King,
King George VI, called for a national day of prayer on the occasion
of Dunkirk and the wonderful answers that were given. The
occasion was of great need for this nation. This nation, the
King, and all people, they realized the need. In fact, the German
commanders, they thought that they'd already achieved their
end. They saw, as they thought, victory. And they were speaking of it.
But it was prayer that made the difference, the Lord answering
prayer. And so there are those times
when, as a nation or as a collection of people, like a town or like
a denomination, when they see and recognise the real threat
and what is needed, then they have a leader that calls for
prayer and gathers those for prayer. We should never despise
those that God leads and raises up to be a leader, to break rank
as it were, and to speak what it may be many others thought
should be done, said should be done, but were not able, not
perhaps willing to do it, or in a position to do it, or have
the authority to do it But when the Lord does have those in authority
that are able to call for such times, we have known and we record
at this time what a blessing that that is. And then we think
of times that the Lord has said that we are to pray always to
pray and not to faint. not only those times where we
can really clearly identify a need, but to always be praying. We're exhorted to trust in the
Lord at all times, not just times that we can see the enemy or
see the adversary, but trusting in the Lord and praying to the
Lord for his keeping and care when we do not even see the danger,
we're not even realised of what is happening. And there's times,
no doubt in your life and in mine, where the Lord has come
in and made us known of the danger, shown us a way of escape and
helped us, and we thought we've never prayed for His protection
and help in this particular matter, because we didn't know it was
there. We didn't know it was gonna happen. that in our lives there are providence,
there are horrible providence, there are things that have happened,
and yet as we pray constantly, continuing in prayer, the main
thing is that there is a communion, a fellowship, a contact with
the Lord. It's not just an outward praying. but it is a coming before the
Lord in attitude of worship and supplication. Our Lord in this
chapter is specifically speaking of private prayer, prayer between
the soul and God and speaking against prayer for the sake of
pride and being thought well of and standing in the streets
And we can do it another way, you know. Sometimes we can go
into the closet, we can shut our door, we can pray, but then
we tell everyone, I prayed about that, I prayed about this. You
might as well stand in the corner of the street then, if you're
gonna go about telling everyone what you've been doing in secret.
And you know, if the Lord means it to be secret, it is. But it's
a good thing if we are a praying people at all times, calling
upon the name of the Lord, that we are not weary or faint in
it, or discouraged in it, but continue in prayer. And may times
like this in a nation encourage us, revive us again to think
of what the Lord can do in times of real felt national need, And
may we then put that to denomination, or Bethesda, or whatever else
may be threatening and a great burden to us and to many people. And so when, when we are to pray,
our text says, but thou, when thou prayest, not if, it should
be a given thing, but prayer is. part of our lives. You know,
the Apostle Paul saw that he was one of the first things that
is said. Behold, he prayeth. And people
would say, well, that's no great thing. He's a Pharisee. They
made long prayers. But a Pharisee's prayer and a
sinner's prayer, a very different thing. And the Lord told the
parable of the Pharisee and the publican, both in prayer, to
highlight that difference. And you know the Apostle Paul
once was the Pharisee and then he was made to be the publican.
Then God be merciful to me a sinner. May we remember that. God brings
down those high looks. Time to think then secondly of
where we are to pray. Our text says when thou prayest
enter into thy closet and when thou hast shut thy door. It's a blessed thing to have
a closet, to have a place where we can go and pray. Many of the accounts over the
years of those who've had big families and they haven't had
a place in their home to go and pray, so they've gone out into
the hedgerows and find a nice little den or place where they
can pour out their heart to the Lord in secret. It's a good thing
to remember as a husband and wife even. We've got our children
left home, yes, I've got a study I can go into for prayer, but
we need to allocate those times when we're not going to suddenly
barge into a room and interrupt our wife or husband when they're
in prayer and their devotions. It doesn't just happen when we
are together as a family that there is those quiet times and
times for prayer. And so, our Lord is saying, make
it to be secret before me in thy closet, but of course that
doesn't exclude, it doesn't exclude family prayer, prayer together
as a husband and wife, or prayer meetings in the house of God,
or national prayer, but it's thinking, of that which is vital
for us each personally, that we have a relationship with the
Lord. The world is shut out, our prayer
is not, for those that are listening, there's no element of that that
we are preaching in our prayers, or we are teaching in our prayers,
or making announcements in our prayers. It is just before the
Lord our God, and there's none other that is hearing And so
the Lord brings it to really be a question to us in our prayers,
how much really are we before God, and that when we shut everyone
else out, what left is in our prayer? Is it real heartfelt
breathings to the Lord? And is there that time that we
have, that fellowship and that union with the Lord? to speak
with the Lord as our friend, as our father, as the context
here is. So on to think then, not only
of where we are to pray, of course, it can be anywhere. That's a
great privilege, isn't it? I think some of you here, as
I can, can think of many places on this earth where things have
happened suddenly and we've gone to pray. And sometimes, yes,
it has been rather a public place. Remember, a year or so back,
meeting a brother of one of the other churches in the town, and
he had for many years a real burden for the grammar school
in the town, as we've had. He said, you know, years ago
we did a crusade, and we tried to really pray and reach out
to those young people coming from all nations. Come, he said,
let's make it a matter of prayer. And we stood there, it was literally
on the corner of the street, in the middle of the street,
Cranbrook, and offered our prayer for the school that was just
beside us. And those times are spontaneous. One of our congregation,
he is very much that, you know, something comes that is in need,
you find the nearest park bench, gather his family together, and
they'll have time of prayer. And it's good to be instant in
prayer, but when we think of the context here, for the most
part the Lord is really warning against prayer for pride's sake,
but when the prayer is squeezed out, the Lord help me, or come
in for me at this time, Maybe it's even like Nehemiah, which
the king wouldn't have even realized that he was praying right in
front of him. Silent prayer in his heart, and
you might say there in his closet, because no one's hearing, no
one's even seen his praying. And how many times have you and
I known what that prayer is? To ascend up in groans, in desires,
And those sitting around us have had no idea that we've actually
been in prayer unto our God. I want to think then thirdly
of to whom we are to pray. Our text says, pray to thy Father
which is in secret, which is in secret. There's so much a matter of faith
in this, isn't there? You know, many will, like those
at Mars Hill, want to have something that they can see, some idol,
some altar, something that they can pray to. But our Lord emphasises
that we are to pray to our Father which is in secret. We cannot
see him. Paul says, when we're in heaven,
we shall know even as we are known. God knows us here, he
sees us, but we see not him. And yet we pray to him who we
cannot see. Solomon, in the dedication of
the temple, he prayed in this way, wilt thou in very deed dwell
upon the earth? The heaven of heavens cannot
contain Thee, how much less this house that I have builded." He
had that sense of the greatness, the majesty and might of God. He could not see Him. We cannot
see Him. God is a spirit. He cannot be
seen with the eye. And yet He's a real reality to
the people of God. Without faith it is impossible
to please Him. He that cometh to God must believe
that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek
Him. And that diligently seeking is
in prayer, seeking unto the one true, eternal God, unseen, and
yet He is manifested in the ways that he himself chooses to be
so. We spoke of Solomon, and when
he had finished that prayer, the Lord descended in a cloud,
and that altar was lit with fire from heaven. And that place,
Mount Moriah, yes, with Abraham, it wasn't lit from heaven, but
there was the lamb provided. But when David numbered Israel
and was shown where the temple should be built, the Lord said,
let that altar from heaven. It must have been a fearful sight,
the same as on Mount Carmel. The fire from heaven, the children
of Israel going through the wilderness. There was fire from heaven that
kindled the sacrifice at each time. Those that offered strange
fire, fire that they kindled themselves were consumed before
the Lord. That which is acceptable to the
Lord comes from the Lord, and the God of heaven and of earth
is the one that we seek unto. What a blessed thing to believe
in a God that we cannot see, but is evidence in creation all
around us, and God is known by the judgment which He executes. And it is this God that we reverence
and fear and come before in prayer. But our Lord sets it before us
in this way. Pray to thy Father which is in
secret. It is a blessed relationship
for the people of God. This is how later on he made
the start of the manner of prayer. Your Father knoweth what things
ye have need of before ye ask him. After this manner therefore
pray ye, Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name. And our Lord said, If ye, being
evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much
more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them
that ask him? It is a blessed thing. as adopted
children, when the Spirit bears witness that we come before the
Lord as our Heavenly Father. We are forbidden to call one
on earth our Father, but we have a Heavenly Father, and He cares
for His people, He loves His people, and He gives them those
good gifts in answer to prayer. Ask and it shall be given thee,
Seek and ye shall find not, and it shall be opened unto you. I remember years ago in the Trinitarian
Bible Society local committee in Melbourne, and one of the
dear brethren there, he used to pray in such a way, I've never
heard one, that as his evidence so close to the law, the way
he prayed to his heavenly father, Well this man lived very close
to his God. He loved his God and it came
across in such fear, such childlike reverence. And you know that
dear man, they looked after their grandson and he was mentally
afflicted. They came home from chapel one
day And he went down into the kitchen and asked his grandmother
for some money. She said no. So he took a knife
and he killed her. He took the knife up to his grandfather
in his bed and killed him in his bed, absent from the body,
present with the Lord. Sometimes you might think why
the Lord would keep his dear people from such a violent end.
But, you know, the Lord brought them both very quickly to glory. Dear brethren, no doubt, where
they were taken home to. But, you know, those prayers
that he offered up, he knew his God, his God knew him. And he
leaves a lasting impression. When you have a dear man of God,
and in all their attitude and all their approach to God, it
comes, they fear this God. They have a fatal fear, they
love him, they reverence him. It's not the light flippant easy
prayers that sometimes you hear, especially in public, but it's
one that really fears the Lord as their Heavenly Father. So
to whom we are to pray, thy Father which is in secret. Or next it is, who is it that
hears our prayers? Our text says that 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. So the answer, who
is it that hears our prayers? Thy Father which seeth in secret. So to whom we shall pray which
is in secret, that now is highlighted the same Father that which seeth
in secret, seeth in secret. He can see what we cannot see,
and He can see and know and read the hearts of His children. You know, some like dear Peter,
when the Lord asked him those three times, love us now, Mary,
He appeared to the Lord that he knew Him. Lord, Thou knowest
all things. Thou knowest that I love Thee. And so when we have sat before
us, our Father which seeth in secret, we know that He is seeing
not only ourselves, but He's seeing those things that we are
praying for help in and to appear in. You know, I thought as we
read the Horsham, one reason why we read it there, when Assyria
came against Israel. And, you know, the Syrians were
fearful and afraid because it seemed there was a spy amongst
them. Their plans that were made in
secret were known to the enemy all the time. They blamed it
on Elisha, but of course, it was the God of Elisha that was
showing him and telling him these things, and he was then telling
the king of Israel. And the Lord then making known
what the plans of the enemy were. You know how often that was the
saving thing. in the Battle of Britain, in
the war, was that the Lord gave us the ability to use the radar
so that we can find out what the enemy were doing in advance. And really the whole Word of
God, it warns, it directs the child of God to know what the
enemy is doing. He said regarding Satan, We are
not ignorant of his devices. Why not? Because they are recorded
in the Word of God and in the history of the people of God.
How he works, what he does. We think of the book of Job and
how Satan thought, well, this man, he just serves the God of
heaven and earth because of what he gives him. He's hedged around
him, his protection. Take that away, he'll curse thee
to thy face." And Satan knew, and still knows, that that would
hold true to many, many whose religion is not real. They follow
the Lord for loaves and fishes, and while everything is going
well, they're fair-weather Christians. But when it comes to adversity
and trouble and affliction, then they cast him away. And Satan
thought Job was like that, And you think of some of the things
that you dear friends have been through, the same thought, that's
what is religion, that's what her religion is like. We cause
this to happen, we cause this trouble, we stand up and we'll
prove that this one is not child of God and the Lord says, you
have permission, but don't touch his life, save his life. And
these things come and the blessed thing is, that though they may
greatly grieve us and try us, yet the Lord upholds and strengthens. It is a fiery trial, but He brings
us safely through, and we're still found the other side, still
cleaving to the Lord, still going after Him, still desiring to
be with Him. You know, though Peter denied
the Lord those three times, he still ended up his One of his
dear disciples, he still loved the Lord. We may fall, but yet
rise again. And the Lord will do that for
his dear people. And the Lord in secret, he sees,
he knows those that are his. And he knows those things that
are designed against them, unlike in the matter with the King of
Israel. It was they were made wise as
to what the enemy was doing and delivered out of his hand. But
you know, Elisha, he could see this God, this invisible God,
and yet his servant could not see him. He couldn't see the
comfort that Elisha had. Elisha goes to prayer. Lord,
open the young man's eyes. How many times do we pray that
prayer to those around about us, our children or grandchildren
or those that cannot see the works of God, they cannot see
creation, they cannot see and understand the ways of the Lord. How many times do we pray, Lord
open his eyes. Tyndale did. regarding the King
of England at that time, tied to the stake, Lord open his dying
prayer, open the King of Israel's eyes. And may we also pray like
that. You know, years ago over in Australia,
a dear widow in quite a bleak area near Geelong, she was one
of the congregation at Geelong, and I said to her one day in
her home, I said, are you frightened at times to be just on your own
in this place? Aren't you vulnerable? And she
said, I was. But she said, then the Lord showed
me that the horses, the chariots were round about me. And she
said, I've never been frightened again. I know the Lord's host
is round about me. And you know the Lord wonderfully
answered her prayers many a time. And one time she fell down and
she couldn't get up to get near the phone, no one near at all. And she saw she'd got an old
treadle organ and it had pillars at each corner. And she thought
of Samson and her prayer was, Lord, give me strength this once
more. And she got over those pillars
and she pulled herself up and got to the phone and called for
help. And the things that she used
to say are how the Lord used to help her when she cried unto
him. It's a blessed thing to have
faith, to see what the eye cannot see, and to call upon a God that
we cannot see. but call upon the God that can
see in secret, and He sees those things that man is not seeing. And where man would fail, that
God does not fail. Nothing is hid from Him. You know, when like Ahasuerus
tried to deceive Elisha in going and getting from Naaman the reward
for his healing of the leprosy, and hid it, and then went and
lied, stood before Elisha. Elisha knew exactly what had
happened. You could ask him, did not thy
heart go with thee when he turned from the chariot to thee? He
knew all these things, they weren't hidden. They're open, they're
revealed to him. And we find many such cases in
the word of God. And those things are about to
come in future as well. all planned, decreed by God,
so God can come to Joseph and give him, you know, 22 years
before it comes to pass, the dreams as to what shall happen,
that his brothers would bow down to him. The Lord making known
what is in secret. The secret of the Lord is with
them that fear him, and those who reveal his governance. And
it is then, who is hearing our prayers, is thy father which
seeth in secret, and heareth in secret. He understands. He
understands what we ask for. You know, it's a blessed thing
to be able to say with dear Hannah, for this child I prayed. You
know, Eli, he says, go and the Lord give thee thy petition at
the last of him. He didn't know what the petition
was, but he just asked that the Lord would answer him. But a
few years later, then she was able to say, I am the woman that
stood by thee here praying. Her lips moved. He didn't know
what was being said. In that sense, it was silent
before the Lord. But the Lord knew, and the Lord
gave her a man-child, what she'd asked for. And we know that best
provision with Samuel. May we think of this again, thy
Father which seeth in secret. He's the one who answers our
prayers. It's heartening to read that
the King, George VI, not only did he call for a day of prayer,
but he also called for a national day of thanksgiving. I believe
there was during the war years some seven times of a national
call to prayer or thanksgiving during those war years. It was much a part of this nation,
though there might still be so again. So, on a personal level
though, there's a thing to trace a Heavenly Father. My Father's
hand prepares the cup, and what He wills is best. And it is the
Father's hand that answers those prayers. The Lord says in John
10, concerning the safety of His dear people, that none is
able to pluck them out of My hand. And My Father that is greater
than I, no man is able to pluck them out of My Father's hand. And it is a blessed thing to
realise to whom we are going and who is actually seeing. Sometimes you might be tempted,
the Lord is not regarding, He's not hearing, He's not answering. But one thing that we need to
really, as it were, put a stake in the ground and be very, very
sure of, is anything too hard for the Lord? With men, things
are impossible, but with God, nothing is impossible. And as
soon as we realize that, Then if we're not having answers to
prayer, it's either it is not the Lord's will, or it is not
the Lord's time, or the Lord has something better that He
will do and perform. It is good for us to never limit
the Holy One of Israel. Remember the children of Israel
going into the Promised Land And rather than pray, rather
than cry unto the Lord regarding the Canaanites, they discouraged
their brethren. They brought up really a good
report of the land, but then an evil report of the stature
of the men that were there, and came to the conclusion that God
was not able to deliver them. Or so the man on whom the king
leaned, when Elisha prophesied in the time of the great famine
in Samaria, that there should be great plenty. He said, Well,
if the Lord should open windows in heaven, then might this thing
be. And Elisha said, Thou shalt see
it with thine eyes, but thou shalt not partake of it. And the king appointed him to
the gate, and they trod him to death as they went out to get
the food. Unbelief, lenity, the Holy One
of Israel, a God that seeth and knoweth what the intent of the
heart is, knoweth when there is deceit." Now we have a solemn
case in Jeremiah 42, 43, where those that were left in the land,
they asked Jeremiah, you go and make intercession for us to God,
and whether we shall go down to Egypt or not. And whatever
he says, we will do it. and they give very strong language
as to their sincerity and they're going to be faithful in obedience
to whatever the Lord says. And the Lord is silent to Jeremiah
for 10 days. I wonder how many times we pray
for 10 days over something urgent and the Lord is silent, silent,
silent, day after day after day. And then the Lord spoke to Jeremiah,
and he had to come to them. And he said to them, he dissembled
when he sent me unto the Lord. Dissembled in your hearts. The
Lord had shown that they'd already determined to go down into Egypt,
and that they had just made out that they were going to be submissive
to the Lord. They wanted a rubber stamp on
their own designs. And you know when Jeremiah said,
no, you're not to go, you remain in this land. They accused him
of being set up by the other kings. They said it wasn't the
Lord that had spoken to him at all. And that passage, it always
struck me of how to a man you'd think, what a lovely people coming
and speaking in this way will make intercession for them. But
God, the Father, he sees in secret And he sees the heart, and he
sees what is really being asked, and why it's being asked. And
he answers accordingly. May we have the fear of the Lord
before our eyes, as knowing who it is that hears. We are told
that thy Father is in heaven, we on earth, wherefore let thy
words be few. And of course in the passage
here, he warns against vain repetition, empty repetition, the Lord knows
before we ask what things we have need of. That doesn't mean
we needn't ask or shouldn't ask, we should. And in many cases,
the Lord already is bringing the answer. Even before they
call, I will answer them. Onto them think, lastly, of who
answers prayer. Our text says, and thy father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Prayers in secret
are answered, and men see the answer, but they haven't seen
the prayer. And it's at that time we can
say with Hannah, presenting the answer for this child I pray. There's a time to make known
where we have made something a matter of prayer, and that
is when the answer is given. Often think of Psalm 126. We plead it often at Cranbrook,
the Lord's servant, Robert Field, my induction service, he preached
from this psalm. And it's been our prayer for
many, many years. And it is when the Lord turned
again, the captivity of Zion, we were like then the dream.
Then was our mouth filled with laughter and our tongue with
singing, then said they among the heathen, the Lord had done
great things for them, even the heathen. could see it without
even being told, they could see. And then they say, the Lord hath
done great things for us, whereof we are glad. Something that is
done so openly, so outwardly, to give honor and glory to God,
and we ascribe that honor and glory to God. It's a blessed
thing to do that. One of our aunties, she's 95
in the Pilgrim home and the BBC interviewed her. It was on the
BBC last night. It was when they were children
in the war, the three of them, three sisters in the bedroom
and a shell that came through the house and it hit the house,
went straight through the bedroom where they were and out the window
and then hit the ground and exploded away from the house. Normally,
as soon as you hit the house, it'd explode. It didn't, and
their lives were spared. And there was a piece that was
taken from the same interview in a Christian newspaper where
she clearly is giving the honour and glory to God, but though
the BBC recognised it, that she said that this was a miracle,
they never ascribed it to God. They cut that out. And it is
most solemn that when there are those things that people will
say is remarkable, wonderful that have done, it's right that
we then should ascribe that honor and glory to God. As the Lord's people, that we
are to actually speak and to give glory to God. You know, when the Lord opened
the eyes of the man that had been born blind, all the time
they were asking, who opened thine eyes? Who opened thine
eyes? Well, the poor man, the Lord
Jesus had conveyed himself away, he didn't know. And afterwards,
when the Lord revealed himself to him, then he was able to clearly
say, it was the Lord Jesus Christ. And it's a wonderful testimony.
when we are able to give testimony as to where our answers have
come from, what we are by the grace of God, what we have prayed
for, what we have asked for, who answers prayer, a decree
from heaven, the power of God, using sometimes secondary means,
but nevertheless coming from God's almighty hand. This is
the Lord's doing, it is marvellous in our eyes, giving him the honour
and the glory that is due unto his name. Now the way it's spoken
here, shall reward thee, open thee. Well, what reward is a
better reward than the Lord owning his dear people, blessing them
and saying to them, this soul has the ear of God in my ear,
and I have answered his prayer, and I have appeared for them,
and set my seal upon them. They shall call upon me, and
call upon me in the day of trouble. I will deliver thee, and thou
shalt glorify me. This people have I formed for
myself. They shall show forth my praise,
And oftentimes it is in answer to prayer. That dear woman that
come, Lord help me. What was done for her? Daughter
was healed, but she also had the word from the Lord. Thy faith
has saved them, go in peace. So dear friend, this word is
a word of the Lord from heaven. And it is to us to pray. and
to be mindful of our prayers, to encourage us in prayers, and
to wait upon the Lord, and when He answers, and when He comes
in for us, to give Him the honour and glory due to His name. May the Lord bless the Word. He who has suffered, bled and
died on Calvary's tree, He who has made a way that poor guilty
sinners can be blessed, and yet God still be just and faithful
and holy and true. Every blessing comes through
Jesus' precious blood, in whose name we ask. May the Lord bless
this word. Amen.