I am not a talented singer or musician, but I love listening to music. I remember my love of music beginning sometime during middle school. That’s when I began accumulating cassette tapes and then CD’s of my own (insert old person joke here). I found that I enjoyed how I could escape in it. Sometimes I would truly connect with the lyrics, which became more and more important to me over time.
We all need to identify our own personal “prayer closets”.
“Prayer closets” got their name, I assume, from the idea of using a closet to get away from others, close yourself off, and intimately communicate with God. Of course, we do not have to rely solely on closet space for this, although there is certainly nothing wrong with that. It’s important for us to be on the lookout for our own unique ways of opening ourselves up to communicating with our Heavenly Father. Jesus used the wilderness as a prayer closet. Paul was limited to using a prison cell for one at times, which proves we can find one just about anywhere. For me, music is often a prayer closet. It was serving as one long before I really realized it, to be honest. It just seems natural, as if God gave me a built in mechanism to quiet the storm around me with music. I can actually get still and focused enough to engage Him and even listen to Him, which is one main component of any prayer closet.
Getting still is not an easy thing to do.
“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10, ESV). This frequently quoted verse specifically tells us one of the keys to getting to know God on a deeper level. We have to get still. Easier said than done! We are bombarded each and every second of every day with things that keep us active. Even if it is not physical activity, our minds are constantly occupied with smart phones, television, and a host of other things that spur busyness and thwart relationship. Identifying our own personal prayer closets is one way to help us get still. Having a “go-to” way of forcing a shut down is almost a must! And the cool thing is, God has built in ways for us to do this. Music may work great for me, while a book, a car ride, some coffee on the porch, or even just staring at a blank wall works great for others.
Relationships require us to be still.
In a lot of ways, our relationship with God is no different than our relationships with others. To engage someone and get to know them, I cannot be preoccupied with something else. I have to shut down everything else to make someone else a priority. I have to make a choice to lay down my life (which often means laying down all the other things I have going on) and focus on listening to them, communicating with them…basically, getting to KNOW them. It’s not just “Be still, and get to know God”. It’s also, “Be still, and get to know others”.
Being still is far from being passive and lazy, it actually requires a great deal of faith.
Whether we surrender something in order to be still in a prayer closet and talk with God or to be still at the supper table and talk with our families, it requires something out of us. This “stillness” is not laziness or irresponsibly putting off important things that need to be done. This is an act of faith. It is an act that requires us to trust God with the things we put aside in order to engage in relationships with Him and others. These relationships are far more important than those other things that can absorb most of our time and energy. God values relationship. His actions over the course of time have proven that fact. Our relationship with Him is the center piece for everything else that’s good in our lives. In similar fashion, whether we have a large or small circle of intimate relationships with others, those relationships are the best foundation for everything else we engage in. It’s worth the time to be still and engage them.