But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking (Matthew 6:6-7).
The sixth chapter of Matthew presents the doctrine of the Secret Place and its importance as the controlling center of the “Kingdom.” It is the essential factor of the teaching of Jesus Christ. You are a king, Jesus says, the ruler of your own kingdom. When you know the truth of being, you are the absolute monarch of your own life.
It is very significant that Jesus should call your consciousness the Secret Place. It is obvious that nothing has any real significance but a change of policy in the Secret Place.
A distinguished Quaker some years ago said: “In my youth we discontinued the distinctive Quaker costume and certain other usages because we realized that people who were far from really caring for our Quaker ideas were joining us, nevertheless, for the sake of the educational facilities they could obtain so inexpensively for their children, as well as other advantages of our membership. It was so easy to style oneself a ‘Friend,’ to purchase and wear a coat without buttons or collar, and to interlard the conversation with a grammatical peculiarity, while leaving the character completely untouched. It is so easy to buy and wear ceremonial garments, to repeat set prayers by rote at certain times, to use stereotyped forms of devotion, to attend religious services at prescribed periods—and to leave the heart unchanged.”
When we realize and accept that God dwells within us and that we find God first in our hearts and minds, only then will we be able to truly express God’s spirit out into the world in prayer and ceremony. When we pour out our spirit and empty ourselves of the self, it is then that we are filled with God’s Holy Spirit. We can not force God’s spirit into ourselves by public display, sacramental actions or uttering words which do not rise from feelings within.
It is when, in our heart of hearts, we believe in and long for and receive God’s spirit that these outer displays truly reflect an inward truth. It is then that our prayers, worship and sacraments become real and are filled with power, love and light. Just as it is our faith which turns the bread and wine into Christ’s body and blood, likewise it God’s spirit within us that sanctifies our outward actions. So, seek ye first the Kingdom of God within as servant who gives up everything to serve their master and is rewarded with a garden kingdom.
First within, then without,
Z gardener
Good Morning Garden 
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