SBGOC Sermon - Advice for Prayer: Close the Door

How many of us struggle to pray? Do you have trouble focusing and keeping your attention in prayer? Today’s Gospel passage reminded us – “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and it will be opened to you.” And it seems like a simple command but so many of us fail to pray attentively. We fail to ask, seek, and knock because we are so distracted. Well, I learned some important wisdom about prayer this week that I wanted to share with you. Matthew the Poor, a Coptic monk who lived in the Egyptian Desert, in his book called “Guidelines for Prayer” explained this really important and essential aspect of prayer. Before I can tell you that important advice… I need to remind us about something Jesus said. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus said, “But when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place.”