WhenYouPray

Matthew 6:
6 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.    (New King James Bible)

1. "But you, when you pray". Jesus assumes that you will develop the art and habit of prayer as a Christian.
We discovered that Prayer is
creating a place in your inner person where you talk to God about matters important to Him and to you;
a place where you then speak the Word of God to your inner person, until His Word sinks into the core of your being and makes you like Him.
Prayer is therefore a two-way conversation.

2. "Go into your room". Your room is the place where you get private with the Lord: a place where you will not be interrupted by others.

3. "And when you have shut your door". Shutting the door means leaving outside of our prayer-place, all the things that want to take over our thoughts and prevent us focusing on the Lord and meeting with Him meaningfully.

Psalm 95:
1 Oh come, let us sing to the LORD!
Let us shout joyfully to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving;
Let us shout joyfully to Him with Psalms. . . .
6 Oh come, let us worship and bow down;
Let us kneel before the LORD our Maker.
7 Today, if you will hear His voice:
8 "Do not harden your hearts, as in the rebellion . . .

Here are the steps to successfully shutting your door in order to meet with the Lord:
sing to the Lord
shout to Him joyfully
with thanksgiving
shout joyfully to Him again
worship and bow down
kneel in humility before the Lord
don't harden your heart in rebellion to Him

Objections against these steps:
"I can't sing and I don't like the sound of my own voice."  Since it is the Lord you are singing to, and He is the One who made you, He already knows whether or not you sing "well". And He still commands you to sing. That means He must have no problem with your voice. And since it is the Lord you are singing to, how you view your own voice should not be the object here. Pleasing the Lord is the object.
"If I start shouting to the Lord, people will think I'm crazy!" If you shout while singing, especially if you do this in the shower, no one will even pay attention.
"My life is so terrible, I have nothing to be thankful for". Consider these things: the Lord created you and called you into the human race at this particular time to live for Him. He loves you. He is your Deliverer, and Helper and Guide and Defender, if you will give Him the opportunity to do these things for you. Thankfulness opens the way for God to lead you out of the terrible place you may be in now.
"I am my own person. I don't bow to anyone!" If you will decide to humble yourself before the Lord, He will show you that He is your Deliverer, and Helper and Guide and Defender, and He will also bring great joy into your life. Joy is definitely desirable!
"I am not rebellious. I just do my own thing, without listening to anyone else." When we lay down our love of defiance and resistance, and allow the Lord to be the Master of our life, and we begin to obey Him, then all the goodness and loving-kindness of God begins to flow through us and refresh us from the inside. Then others begin to see us living in a purposeful manner. We become a blessing to those around us. The joy of the Lord takes us over. And His goodness and mercy begin protecting our back.

Today is a wonderful day to begin implementing these steps when you come to meet with the Lord!

Prayer:
Great Father in heaven, You are my shepherd and I am one of Your sheep.
Today I come to sing to You; shout joyfully to You; praise You with thanksgiving; push away any resistance in my heart before Your awesome majesty!
I want to be like the Lord Jesus Christ, my Saviour and Master,
Amen.