But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet…. —Matthew 6:6
My prayer life needed help. I’d been searching for a way to help me pray more consistently. The one I discovered is so simple, I almost hesitate to share it.
While I was cleaning out my walk-in closet one day, a photograph of my twin sons fell from a top shelf. Jon and Jeremy were four in the picture, wearing navy sailor suits with short pants and white, starched collars and new, red-buckle shoes. I smiled at the picture I had thought was lost and started to replace it on the shelf, when an idea came to me.
I taped the picture to the wall, eye-level, in a spot where no clothes hung. Then I bowed my head and prayed for each son. Later, I added pictures of my other children and grandchildren. My husband’s picture is there, too—I know some special dreams and visions he has.
I’ve included a picture of a friend who needs a big miracle, as well as pictures of other friends, and things to remind me of some of my dreams. It’s become my prayer wall.
My intercession over my collage of prayer requests is sometimes lengthy. Then I sit or kneel amid my shoes. Other times I’m grabbing something in a hurry, and a glance at my prayer wall reminds me to pray on the go. But whether my prayer time is long or brief, I sense that in my closet I’m in a snug, secure cocoon of prayer, with no outside interferences.
Lord, help me to create prayer reminders in my heart and in my home. Amen.
