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“Let us look at what the Word of God says.”
> “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.
> But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
> — Matthew 6:5–6 (NKJV)
These words of Jesus go to the very heart of true Christianity. They separate two kinds of religion:
The lyrics you’ve given echo this message very clearly. They draw our attention to the “whispers behind closed doors”—to the unseen life of prayer that God values, and that carries real spiritual authority.
We are dealing here with a central principle of the kingdom of God:
What is done in secret before God determines what is manifested in public before men.
Public ministry without private reality is hypocrisy. Private reality with God is the foundation of all true spiritual power.
These verses come from the Sermon on the Mount (Matthew 5–7), where Jesus sets forth the constitution of His kingdom. He is not speaking to pagan idolaters. He is speaking to religious people—primarily Jews, many of whom were familiar with the Law, the Temple, the synagogue, and prayer.
In Matthew 6, Jesus addresses three core acts of Jewish piety:
1. Giving (alms) – Matthew 6:1–4
2. Praying – Matthew 6:5–15
3. Fasting – Matthew 6:16–18
In all three He uses the same pattern:
The main problem Jesus confronts is religious performance—acts done for human recognition instead of God’s approval.
In verse 5, He describes a real practice in His day:
> “For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men.”
These were not atheists. They believed in God. They prayed real words. But their real audience was not God, but people. Their motivation was exposure, honour, and reputation. Jesus does not say they receive no reward. He says:
> “Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward.”
In other words, they get exactly what they were striving for—the admiration of people—and nothing from God.
Jesus then gives an opposite picture:
> “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door…”
In those days, the average Jewish home often had one inner room or storage area—the most private place. The emphasis here is not architectural but relational and spiritual:
And He adds a crucial phrase:
> “…pray to your Father who is in the secret place…”
God is not only aware of the secret place; He actually *meets* us there. The Father locates Himself with those who choose the hidden life.
So Jesus is saying to His disciples:
Your true spiritual life is not measured by what people see in the synagogue, or in the streets, but by what your Father sees in the secret place.
The lyrics of the song keep circling this core idea: prayer that is not a show, but a meeting; not a performance, but a relationship.
Let us look at two key terms that open up this passage.
### 1. “Hypocrites” – ὑποκριτής (*hypokritēs*)
> “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites…” (Matthew 6:5)
The Greek word *hypokritēs* originally meant an actor, one who performed on a stage, often wearing a mask. It later came to mean someone who acts a part, feigns, or pretends.
In Jesus’ usage, a hypocrite is:
This gives great weight to the line:
> “True prayer isn’t a show for the crowd”
Jesus is saying: When prayer becomes performance, you have stepped into *hypocrisy*. You may use correct phrases, you may even quote Scripture, but if the motivation is “to be seen by others”, you are acting a part—wearing a religious mask.
God does not reward acts. He rewards truth.
### 2. “Room / Secret Place” – ταμεῖον (*tameion*)
> “But you, when you pray, go into your room…” (Matthew 6:6)
The Greek word *tameion* means:
He then says your Father is:
> “…in the secret” and He “sees in secret”.
The idea here is: concealed from public view.
So the “room” is more than a physical location. It is a spiritual posture: separation from human eyes, human approval, human measurement. It is where you become alone with God.
This deepens the line:
> “He’s waiting in the secret place”
The Father does not look for our stage. He looks for our secret place. The *tameion* is where:
Where the hypocrite seeks the public place, the child of God seeks the secret place.
We will move through the themes expressed in the lyrics and anchor each in Scripture.
### A. Prayer as Show vs. Prayer as Reality
> “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites
> They love to stand in synagogues and on street corners
> Praying loudly so everyone can see
> They’ve already received their reward in full
> Just the praise of people, nothing more from God
> True prayer isn’t a show for the crowd”
Jesus exposes two motivations:
1. To be seen by men (Matthew 6:5)
2. To be heard by God (implied in true prayer)
We have here a vital spiritual law:
You cannot pray effectively to impress people and at the same time truly reach God.
James tells us:
> “…You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.”
> — James 4:3
Asking “amiss” can include wrong motives—not only selfish gain, but also religious pride.
Jesus says of such people, “They have their reward.” The Greek tense indicates: they have received it already and it is complete. There is nothing more coming from God.
This is terrifying. It means that someone can be “known as a man of prayer,” admired by many, and yet have no reward from God—because the real goal was reputation, not relationship.
The song rightly states:
> “True prayer isn’t a show for the crowd”
True prayer is always God-ward. Even when we pray publicly, our focus is not horizontal but vertical. Jesus Himself prayed publicly (John 11:41–42; John 17), but always with pure motive and intimate address to the Father.
### B. The Command to Enter the Secret Place
> “But when you pray, go into your room
> Close the door behind you
> Pray to your Father who is unseen
> He hears every quiet word you speak
> No need for long, fancy phrases to impress
> Just open your heart—He already knows”
Jesus gives three clear instructions:
1. Go into your room
2. Shut your door
3. Pray to your Father
This is not a mere suggestion; it is the pattern of kingdom prayer. It tells us several things:
The Father is described as “unseen.” Paul echoes this:
> “Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, to God who alone is wise, be honor and glory…”
> — 1 Timothy 1:17
The unseen God listens to every quiet word. This matches Psalm 34:15:
> “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry.”
The lyrics say:
> “No need for long, fancy phrases to impress
> Just open your heart—He already knows”
Jesus confirms this:
> “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
> Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.”
> — Matthew 6:7–8
In other words, prayer is not information for God. Prayer is relationship with God. We do not pray to educate Him, but to agree with Him, submit to Him, and commune with Him.
### C. Empty Words vs. Honest Heart
> “Don’t heap up empty words like those who don’t know God
> Thinking they’ll be heard because they talk so much
> Your Father knows exactly what you need
> Before you even ask Him
> Come simply, come honestly, come as you are
> He’s waiting in the secret place”
Jesus contrasts two kinds of prayer:
1. Prayer of those who do not know God (“the heathen”).
2. Prayer of those who know God as Father.
The heathen “heap up” (*battalogeō*—to babble, to stammer, to use meaningless repetition). This is prayer driven by:
Jesus says, “Do not be like them.”
The believer prays from a completely different basis:
This matches Hebrews 4:16:
> “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”
The secret place is not a stage. It is a throne-room. There is one audience: the Father. There is one Mediator: Jesus Christ (1 Timothy 2:5). There is one Helper: the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26–27).
### D. Heaven’s Response to Hidden Prayer
> “The crowd may never hear your whispered prayer
> But heaven leans in close when you draw near
> No stage, no spotlight, no applause required
> Just a child and Father, hearts aligned
> What’s spoken in the quiet changes everything
> Your Father who sees in secret will move”
This is the promise of Jesus:
> “…your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
> — Matthew 6:6
Note three important truths:
1. The Father sees in secret
Nothing is overlooked. Every hidden act, every whispered prayer, is fully known to Him (Hebrews 4:13).
2. The Father rewards
He is not indifferent. He responds. He answers. He vindicates. He manifests what has been done secretly.
3. The reward is “openly”
That is, visible, recognizable, undeniable.
We see this pattern throughout Scripture:
The song says:
> “What’s spoken in the quiet changes everything”
This is deeply true. Everything visible is controlled by the invisible. Spiritual conflicts are often decided in the secret place before they ever appear in public. Paul reminds us:
> “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers…”
> — Ephesians 6:12
The battleground is spiritual. The weapon is often hidden prayer. The victory is then manifested openly.
### E. Secret Prayer and Spiritual Power
> “Close the door, meet Him there alone
> Pour out your soul, make your requests known
> He rewards the heart that seeks Him quietly
> Not for show, but out of love and honesty
> Prayer in secret—power unleashed”
This touches a crucial kingdom principle:
> “But you, when you pray…” (Matthew 6:6)
Not *if* you pray. When you pray. There is no spiritual maturity without a hidden life of prayer.
The lyrics say, “Prayer in secret—power unleashed.” That is precisely the pattern we see in Jesus’ life.
The measure of our public authority for God will never exceed the measure of our private reality with God.
Jeremiah 29:13 states:
> “And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart.”
Hebrews 11:6 adds:
> “He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
The reward is not only answered prayer; the reward is God Himself—His presence, His guidance, His transformation of our character.
Now we move from doctrine to practice. How do we walk in this life of “whispers behind closed doors”?
### Step 1: Renounce Religious Performance
First, we must judge and renounce the desire to be seen by men in our spiritual activities.
This means we say, from the heart:
Paul said:
> “For do I now persuade men, or God? Or do I seek to please men? For if I still pleased men, I would not be a bondservant of Christ.”
> — Galatians 1:10
If pleasing people is our primary goal, we cannot truly serve Christ.
Ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you have used spiritual acts to appear spiritual. Repent specifically. This breaks the power of hypocrisy.
### Step 2: Establish a Real Secret Place
Second, we must establish a regular secret place with God.
This involves:
In that place:
The secret place is not first a “task,” it is a meeting. Go there to meet a Person.
### Step 3: Pray Simply, Honestly, and with the Word
Third, we must align our manner of prayer with Jesus’ instructions.
The Psalms give a pattern of raw honesty before God.
At the same time, anchor your words in Scripture. Pray what God has said. For example:
This kind of simple, Scripture-based prayer carries more weight than any elaborate, man-pleasing speech.
### Step 4: Expect God’s Reward—His Way, His Time
Fourth, we must believe what Jesus said:
> “Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”
Faith believes the unseen before it sees the seen (Hebrews 11:1). When you close the door and kneel in secret, believe:
The “open reward” may come as:
You do not dictate the form of the reward. You trust the character of the Rewarder.
### Proclamation of Faith
Make this your confession, speaking it out loud:
> In the name of Jesus,
> I renounce all religious performance and hypocrisy.
> I refuse to pray to be seen by men.
> I choose the secret place with my Father in heaven.
> My Father sees in secret, and He rewards openly.
> I come to Him not with empty phrases,
> But with a simple, honest heart.
> My Father knows what I need before I ask.
> He hears my whispered prayers behind closed doors.
> What is spoken in the quiet will change what is seen in public.
> I set my heart to seek Him diligently,
> And I believe He will reward me—
> With His presence, His guidance, and His answers.
> Prayer in secret will release His power in my life.
> I am not a performer; I am a child of God.
> In Jesus’ name. Amen.
### Prayer
Father in heaven,
I come to You through the blood of Jesus, not as a performer, but as Your child. I ask You to expose every trace of hypocrisy in my heart. Deliver me from the fear of man and the desire for human applause.
Holy Spirit, teach me to love the secret place. Draw me to that inner room. Help me to shut the door on distraction and to open my heart in truth before You. Write these words of Jesus into my spirit: that my Father who sees in secret will reward me.
Father, establish in my life a hidden walk with You that is deeper than any public ministry. Let my unseen prayers shape my visible world. And may all the glory, all the honour, and all the praise belong to You alone.
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ,
Amen.
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