Praying to Live: Entering the Secret Place with God

Uploaded: 2026-08-24T06:00:00+00:00
Description: Why do you actually pray? That's the real question Gilles Bonneveau puts to the church that morning. Is it because it's a rule, a principle, a religious habit?

Introduction

Why do you actually pray? That's the real question Gilles Bonneveau puts to the church that morning. Is it because it's a rule, a principle, a religious habit? Or because you've understood that your life depends on it? The title of this message is direct: praying to live. Prayer isn't an optional add-on to the Christian life, it's its breath. Without it, you fade out. And yet it isn't enough to pray just any old way: Jesus himself, in Matthew 6, teaches you where, how, and why to pray. What you're about to discover here is the key to the secret place, the conditions for a prayer that reaches God, and why prayer remains non-negotiable for you until your very last day on this earth.

Message outline

1. Prayer is God's plan for your life

Prayer is an immense subject: whole libraries, countless seminars, a lifetime of discipleship will never exhaust this theme.
Only in heaven will you truly discover the real value and results of your prayers.
Praying isn't first of all a performance or a religious duty, it's the means God chose to stay in communion with you.
"You should always pray," Jesus says. Not because God needs your words, but because you need his listening ear.

2. The secret place: where God wants to meet you

Matthew 6:6: "But you, when you pray, enter into your inner room, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly."
The secret place isn't a physical location, it's a spiritual space, an inner sanctuary where God wants to meet you, with no witness, no audience.
This hidden dimension is reserved for those who seek God with all their heart (Jeremiah 29:13). God's word has two sides: a visible side, open to everyone, and a hidden side, reserved for the "diggers", those who love to search deep into Scripture.
A striking picture: Moses' tabernacle had three parts, the outer court, the holy place, and the most holy place. Three levels of communion with God.

3. Three kinds of Christians, three depths of prayer

Outer-court Christians, those who love Jesus on the surface, not yet ready to die to themselves, unmoved by spiritual discipline. You're not born a Christian, you become one.
Holy-place Christians, further along in their walk, active in the church, showing spiritual gifts, but sometimes more focused on activity than on intimacy with God.
Most-holy-place Christians, those who seek God's face, deep prayer, quiet and intimate communion. That's where God reveals himself and speaks.
Where are you? The secret place isn't for an elite, it's an invitation. God wants to move you from one level to the next.

4. The conditions for a prayer God answers

A clear conscience: if your conscience is accusing you of something, start with a prayer of repentance. If you can make things right with someone, do it.
A pure heart: God listens to every prayer, but he doesn't answer every prayer. What's the use of praying if your heart isn't right with him?
A promise from God to stand on: remind him of what he said. "Lord, you said that whoever confesses their faults obtains mercy." His word becomes your footing.
Being ready to cooperate with the answer: if God shows you an action to take (speaking to a brother, reconciling with a sister, taking a concrete step), obey. Prayer isn't passive.
Jesus' reminder: the Pharisee who thought himself righteous wasn't the one who went home justified. The tax collector who acknowledged his faults went home forgiven.

5. The Lord's Prayer, the model Jesus gave

After teaching about the secret place and the posture of the heart, Jesus gives the model: the Lord's Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).
It's a balanced prayer that covers everything: worship of the Father, the coming of his kingdom, his will, daily bread, forgiveness of offenses, protection from evil.
You can pray about everything, your family, your home, your daily bread, your loved ones, the nations. But ask according to God's heart, with faith, with understanding, and under the leading of the Holy Spirit.

6. Daniel: when prayer is a matter of life and death

When King Nebuchadnezzar decides to have all the wise men of Babylon killed because none of them can interpret his dream, Daniel takes time to pray before acting.
He doesn't panic, he doesn't run, he seeks God's face. And God reveals the king's dream to him.
That's praying to live: when life backs you into a corner, your first instinct isn't fear but prayer.

7. Why pray? A necessity that runs through your whole life

Even Christ's sacrifice on the cross, which restored you to relationship with the Father, doesn't remove the call to pray. In the garden of Eden, man spoke directly with God. After sin entered, prayer became the means of maintaining that communion.
You're called to pray toward an eternal home: "This is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and him whom you sent, Jesus Christ" (John 17:3).
You're called to pray for all people: authorities, leaders, your pastors, your loved ones, the nations (1 Timothy 2:1). So that God would give them light.
You're called to pray to resist the devil: "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7). Not with arrogance, but firmly, in prayer.

Key takeaways

Prayer isn't a religious performance, it's a vital breath. You pray to live, not to look good.
The secret place isn't a location, it's a posture of the heart. Shut your door, and God who sees in secret will answer you.
God listens to every prayer, but he doesn't answer every prayer. A pure heart, a clear conscience, and standing on his word change everything.
Christ's sacrifice doesn't replace prayer: it gives you access. Praying remains your calling until your very last day.
When life backs you into a corner, follow Daniel's example: your first instinct isn't fear, it's seeking God's face.

Personal application

What's your "secret place" today, a location, a moment, a posture where you withdraw with God with no audience? Do you honor it regularly?
Are you an outer-court, holy-place, or most-holy-place Christian? What is God asking of you to move you to the next level?
Is there an unconfessed fault, a relationship needing repair, that's blocking your prayers? What's one concrete first step you can take this week?
What promise from God's word will you stand on this week for a specific prayer? Write it down, pray it out loud.
When trouble comes, what's your first instinct: fear, running away, calling a friend, or prayer? Decide to make prayer your first move.

Verses cited

Frequently asked questions

Why does Jesus insist on praying in the secret place?

Because prayer isn't first of all a visible performance but an encounter with the Father. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus invites you to enter your room, shut your door, and pray to your Father who is there in secret. It's a spiritual space where you withdraw from the noise of the world to stand before God, with no audience. And God, who sees in secret, will reward you. This posture protects your prayer from the temptation to put on a show, to please people, or to turn your relationship with God into a spectacle. It also teaches you depth: when no one is watching, only your heart is really speaking.

What are the conditions for God to answer my prayer?

Gilles Bonneveau lists several, drawn from the Bible: a clear conscience (confessing your faults before presenting your request), a pure heart, standing on a promise from God's word, being ready to cooperate with the answer (obeying if God shows you something), and praying in the name of Jesus Christ. God listens to every prayer, but he doesn't answer every prayer. The tax collector who acknowledged his faults went home forgiven, while the Pharisee who boasted about himself went home empty-handed. So start by settling what's weighing on your conscience, then bring your request with faith.

Why pray if Christ has already died for me?

Christ's sacrifice restored you to relationship with the Father, but it didn't remove the call to pray. In the garden of Eden, man spoke directly with God. After the fall, prayer became the means of maintaining that communion. Until the end of your time on earth, you're called to pray, to live, to hold on, to bear fruit, to intercede for others. Praying isn't adding something to Christ's sacrifice. It's using the access his death opened up for you.

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