"Closets"

“Closets”

Karen and I enjoy watching the HGTV series “House Hunters”. (The interpersonal dynamics of those searching for a suitable home are often a show of their own.) One of the main concerns of many potential buyers or renters is closet space, especially in the master bedroom. Since I hold to the theory that the amount of “stuff” we save expands to fill the space available to keep it (whether or not we need it) large closets can become a disadvantage, especially when moving time rolls around. So the adage “A house can never have too many closets” may or may not be true.

In His Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5-7) Jesus talked about prayer. He cautioned His hearers (and us today) about using our conversations with our Father in Heaven as public displays of “godliness” (Matthew 6:5) then said, “But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret….” (Matthew 6:6a, KJV, emphasis added). The Greek word refers to a secret chamber or place of retreat. (If you saw the movie “War Room” you might remember the main character’s retiring to such a place in her home where she prayed.) I believe we all need some area like this where we can commune with God apart from life’s distractions with the result that “…thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (Matthew 6:6b, KJV).

Some of us, however, put God in a “closet” until we “need” Him then expect Him to run to our rescue. Churches were filled during the Cuban Missile Crisis of 1962 and immediately after September 11, 2001. But once life got back to normal (whatever that might be) we put God back into His “closet” until the next crisis we can’t manage by ourselves (maybe the Coronavirus—see the previous article). But we sometimes forget that God’s a gentleman and doesn’t barge in to where His presence isn’t welcome—but there are consequences when this is done (the Old Testaments accounts of Israel’s history and the present condition of our own nation bear this up).

Let’s ask God for His help in using our closets for their intended purposes and give Him free reign in our lives. As we trust Him He’s promised. “Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5, emphasis added). Amen!

Grace and Blessings!

Jim McMillan