Setting Up Your Prayer Closet
Week 1 – Prayer Closet
Practicing private, intentional prayer
Prayer Practice: Setting Up Your Prayer Closet
Day 1, Sunday, January 4
“When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.”
—Matthew 6:6
Before Jesus taught His disciples what to pray, He taught them where to pray. Not a literal closet, but a time space that’s set apart for you to commune with God. You might be surprised by that - after all, God is everywhere and we can pray anywhere. Why would Jesus prescribe going into our room and closing the door? Simply put, He’s after our heart. These small gestures shape not just our experience but also our affections. Scheduling time in prayer is not about a rigid religiosity but an intentional prioritizing of the things my spirit longs for. It’s a simple acknowledgment and reminder that there are things worth making time for and a recognition that we want time with the Lord to be at the top of that list.
How to Practice
1. Choose a Place
Pick a location where you can be relatively undistracted. John Wesley’s mother Susanna famously pulled her apron over her head for 1-2 hours each day in prayer with the Lord - a sign to her 10 children that she was communing with the creator.
You might pick:
A chair
A corner of a room
A table
A parked car
A quiet spot outside
The place doesn’t need to be special—it just needs to be available.
2. Choose a Time
Decide on a time of day that is realistic for you.
Morning before the day begins
Midday during a break
Evening before bed
Start small and keep it sustainable. 5-10 minutes each day could have a dramatic impact on your faith and you may find yourself naturally staying longer.
3. Remove Distractions
As much as you can, consider ways you might limit things that pull you away:
Silence your phone or leave it in another room
Close a door
Kneel at your bed
A Gentle Reminder
Consistency matters more than duration. A small, faithful practice will shape you more than an ambitious one you can’t sustain. As you plan what your “prayer closet” might look like (when and where you’ll pray each day) - you can use the rest of our 21 days of prayer and fasting to meet God here.
