Filming in some peaceful meadows for our ANCIENT PATHS episode on devotional prayer this week it was nice to have some sunshine in a month that can be very rainy in the UK. Also pleased to mix in some lovely location shots from a day I spent at Valle Crucis Abbey in Llangollen.

In Matthew 6 Jesus instructed us to pray in secret, in the hidden places and not to seek the admiration of people. Of course in our western culture we have all but eradicated prayer from public life and I’m sure this was not what Jesus meant. In fact he encourages us to pray together in agreement with each other:

Again I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. For where two or three are gathered in my name, there am I among them.

But secret devotional prayer is to complement our gathered prayer. It’s the way we purposefully turn our attention and hearts towards the Lord to express our personal submission to him and enter into communion and dialogue. Where we tell him our hearts desires and also learn to listen to His.

Here’s an extract from PRAYER – SECRET GROVES: