Is it then wrong to ever pray in public? No, but it is wrong ever to do so because we wish to receive praise from men. Let each one know himself and his own weaknesses, and not put himself in the way of temptation. It may be that others have made more progress in sanctification than we have, and we should not judge them. Some are called to public prayer because of their public office in the church; they must lead the people of God in worship and be heard and understood. But let them not do this before they have made considerable progress in mortifying the flesh in the way that Christ insists on here. But even the leader in the church must follow Christ’s rules, and come to the secret place often. Every devout believer loves to be alone with God having all other human beings excluded and in that place that intimacy with his God. This not compare with any other pleasure to be found on earth. Here he can be honest and open before the Lord, to unveil the deepest feelings of his heart and share his greatest fears and his innermost longings. How can he willingly exchange this for the praise of men? Here he is not dependant on any other fallible, created power, but on one whose resources cannot fail and in whose arms he can confidently rest for all eternity. How can men bless the soul? How can they so arrange providence that all things work together for our good? How can they give that sense of security that our heavenly Father gives? Those who pray to be seen, must give up all of this for a reward that is so worthless in comparison. ‘Truly, they have their reward’, says Jesus Christ. Yes, they have it, but that is all they are going to get – ever. It is a reward that is miserable, that destroys true prayer, that separates from God and when it is finished, there is nothing else to follow. But the reward of God is eternal, perfect, holy, just and good.
What are the problems that believers experience in prayer? They include lack of assurance, coldness of heart, no sense of engagement with God, lack of any desire to pray, strange intruding thoughts, short concentration span, tiredness, forgetfulness, unwanted feelings and excessive emotion spoiling train of thought. Many of these problems are dealt with by operating at intellectual level. Isaiah says, ‘Who is among you that feareth the LORD, that obeyeth the voice of his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the name of the LORD, and stay upon his God’ (Isaiah 50:10). You do not feel the presence of God, but pray just the same. Satan said that Job did not serve God for nothing, so all feelings were allowed to be removed from him, and yet he kept his hold on God. ‘He doesn’t serve you for nothing’ says Satan. ‘Take away feelings and he will go to pieces.’ We will not. We pray with just the mind – this is valid if it is all you can do, and in due time feelings will be restored.