What I learned praying in my closet

It's hard to believe that two months have passed since I moved to Columbus as a new college graduate, anxious and excited, embarking for a year of discipleship and servant-hood with IFI. When I look back on the past two months, I've been blown away by all the blessings and teachings that God has poured into my life in so many ways. As I'm writing my first blog post today, I couldn't wait to share more of my journey in Christ with you this year and beyond. 

One thing that has constantly amazed me is the beautiful spaces God has surrounded me with ever since I got to Columbus.

On the first day of September, after moving twice during the initial few weeks (and stayed with several awesome IFI staff members), I finally settled down in the sweet and cozy basement with my host family in Dublin.


I have moved constantly due to a variety of reasons throughout college. And sharing a room with different people has never been a strange concept to me. Growing up as the only child, I've been both blessed and challenged by all the experience I had with my roommates. So when I first got here, I was so excited to move in with a family and finally have a living space for myself, or most importantly, a space where I could be comfortably in the sole presence of God.

The first month with IFI was very busy. We were constantly thrown into duties to welcome and serve new international students. It was exciting, yet spiritually draining. As I joyfully embraced all the opportunities to serve, I realized that my need for personal time with God has grown stronger than ever.

Journaling has been the primary way I spent time with God alone in the past. Since I didn't quite have a physical space to myself, I found that it was only when I write, I could give God undivided devotion with complete openness and honesty. Every time I look back at my journal, I’m amazed by the things I’ve shared with Him and the prayers that He answered in different ways.
 
Among the classes we take at IFI, my favorite one is Attending Prayer by Karen Oliver, the beloved “prayer warrior” as many people know her. She challenged us in many different ways to pray in faith, pray by listening, and pray for others. I still kept the reflection in my heart, seeing Karen praying in her room every morning and night when I was staying with her.

I’ve always considered myself a spontaneous person, and it shows in the way I pray. I never felt a need to have a designated time or place for prayers. I thought that it meant that I could simply pray wherever, and whenever I “feel” it. But the truth is, when I navigate through the busy schedule of daily life, prayer is probably the least thing that jumps into my head before the “I got this” mentality takes over. That is, unless there’s something that I just couldn’t do with my own abilities.

"But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." 

Matthew 6:6

I watched the movie, the War Room, quite a long time ago. I was deeply touched, but it never came across mind that I could take the idea of a prayer closet literally, and apply it in my life.

One night when I was returning home from the Master Life class, eagerly longing to spend some unwind time with my Master. All of a sudden, I felt a conviction to go down to my room, clean out everything from an extra storage room I got under the stairs, and make it my prayer room.

When I got home, without hesitation, I rushed downstairs, and started cleaning out all the moving boxes that were originally in that room. As I closed the door when everything’s done, I felt that I’ve also closed down the rest of the world. There’s an instant feeling of peace rising up in my heart. Simultaneously, I started writing down notes with names of people and prayer requests on the wall in front of me.

Then, I started praying. And for the first time, I prayed like I’m conversing with a close friend, letting down all guards and being all vulnerable in front of Him. All the joy I lifted up to Him in praise, all the questions I desired answers for I asked Him, and all the things that’s been troubling my heart I opened up to Him, knowing that He’s my ultimate refuge.
As I slowed down in my praying, I felt His comfort gently entering in me. It’s warm, and quiet. Suddenly there’s nothing that I need to rush for. No errands to run, no emails to reply and nothing to worry about. No one else is listening. It’s just me and Him. For a brief moment I was in complete silence. It was simply beautiful.

From that night on, I started to really enjoy my prayer time, my uninterrupted time with God, something I look forward to every day. I added a cushion in my prayer room and left a journal in there; the prayer lists on the wall continued growing and becoming more colorful. But what didn’t change is in the same sense of peace and joy in my heart every time I enter into that space.

Not only do I now have a prayer closet at home, I’ve also turned my car into a “prayer closet.” I’ve even found a “prayer closet” at work! A prayer closet is really a place wherever you can spend time alone with God. The concept is such a found treasure for me and I’d love to encourage everyone to try it if you don’t already have one. It’s sweet to spend time with the Lord!