Regularly I hear saints talk about spending time with God and being before the throne of grace in prayer. I listen to preacher-friends, minister-friends and fellow evangelists express how they commune with God and experience His presence all around them. Though our time in our secret closets may be different, the result I have heard so often is the same, that God is SURE to answer. BUT, does God always answer? Are we all so good that He must answer or is He so righteous that when He doesn’t we wait? How faithful are we to tarry in the mist of silence? Who among us is honest enough to say, “I’ve approached the throne of grace only to find a quiet God?” I’m reminded of how Job prayed to an all knowing God without receiving an answer out of his torment and yet waivered not in His faith. Because I have experienced God’s silence before, I now know these are the times when He is testing my faith. So when I hear saints talk about how much time they spend with God but never how much time God spends with them, I wonder if the secret closet is a secret to God as well. The good book says the fervent prayers of the righteous avail much, it doesn’t say your prayers are immediately answered. The same book instructs us to pray without ceasing and makes a point in letting us all know, “the Father knows what we stand in need of” better than we ourselves. Let us not forget that prayer is a two-way street. Prayer involves a relationship with the one you’re praying to and a belief that He is able (even if He doesn’t) to answer.
Our secret closet is not for the sake of keeping track of how much we pray but soley as scripture teaches, “he who prays in secret, the Lord is just to reward openly for all to see.” Afterall, He called it your “secret closet,” for a reason. So keep praying until your change comes and be mindful to keep what’s between you and God, between you and God. In the meantime, go ahead and shout because He has already said, “He will not withhold any good thing from His children.” The answer may not come when you want it,….. (you know the rest) 
Blessings www.shaybills.com
