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But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:6 (ESV)

I think about that private room Christ wants me to go into with the door shut. What am I bringing in that room with me? All the stresses of my day? Am I really bringing myself wholly before Him?

I want to be sure, because when Jesus tells me to “shut the door”, I’m hearing He wants me to be intentional when I pray and take dedicated time without the world crowding my heart.

So I’ve upped my game on readying myself for prayer. I’ll share with you six ways I’ve learned to be authentic with God once I’ve shut that door to pray:

1. Consider WHEN and WHERE you pray:
   “And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”
   Mark 1:35 (ESV)
   I pray in the mornings too, but I like to work out first. Then I feel refreshed and my stress is lower and I can focus on prayer.
2. Don’t Rush
   Whether Christ prayed all night in the Garden of Gethsemane or spent hours alone after hearing about the beheading of John the Baptist, none of that time was sandwiched between His priorities.
   
   “In these days he went out to the mountain to pray, and all night he continued in prayer to God.”
   Luke 6:12 (ESV)
   This has become my goal in life. To not rush at all. These days we all have trouble finding that time to just share it all with Him.
3. Tell God your fears and pain
   I use paper and pencil and write ALL of my in-the-moment fears: worries over widowhood, whether my dog barks too much, the unkind words my son said the other day. I list every fear and resentment without trying to figure any of it out. Writing them is different than speaking them. Venting on a phone with a friend only makes these fears grow legs. But if I write them down, they are contained. And I can read them just as they are—fears. Not reality.
4. Acknowledge Scriptural truth
   I finish my writing with, “Lord, I give these fears over to You. Please give me peace of mind and focus to be productive while I rest in the knowledge that you are in control.”
   
   “Casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.”
   1 Peter 5:7 (ESV)
   
5. Letting your fears go, completely
   After I’m done writing I dunk the page I wrote into water and let it disintegrate. That means I can write anything and I never have to worry about offending others. As the words blur on the page and the fibers of the paper fall apart I feel God reassuring me, “I’ve got this.”

Once I do these steps, I’m ready to pray. Wait, you might say. Do you mean she hasn’t even begun to pray yet? No, and this is why my prayer life is far stronger now than ever before.

When I’ve pulled away all that blocks me from hearing the Lord, I’m relaxed and really with Him. I’ve readied my heart to be in His presence and really listen.

With all world on the other side of that door, I’m not hurried, and what I pray, well, that’s private isn’t it? It’s so lovely that I linger and stay a while.

Lord, if there is one prayer here, it’s to help my sisters reading this to recognize how important it is to slow down and give You dedicated time on a daily basis. Help them to see what You can do for their joy when they invest and get their hearts ready to be in Your presence.