As an intercessor, you love receiving answers to your prayers. We all do! But have you ever stopped to think about the fact that mere answers to prayer are not God’s full reward?

Who is praying on the wall?

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Getting your prayers answered is a great joy — indeed, it’s a necessity. But Jesus actually told us that we each can receive a reward — not merely an answer, but an additional reward — for the mere act of praying!

Does this sound farfetched to you? It shouldn’t. Jesus told us specifically about the reward that accompanies private prayer:

And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:5–6 NKJV).

In Matthew 6, Jesus told us that there are specific rewards for doing three things privately unto the Father:

1. giving alms to the poor without telling people about it;
2. praying in your prayer room with the door closed;
3. fasting without flaunting your fast to others, and without acting like a martyr for fasting.

Lest you think that the answer and the reward are the same thing, with no benefits possible other than your answer, consider what Jesus said about giving alms. We know from Proverbs that when we give to the poor, we will receive back from God anything that we have given. The passage says: He who has pity on the poor lends to the Lord, and He will pay back what he has given (Proverbs 19:17 NKJV).

The “answer” to our alms-giving is that we get to help someone in need (what joy!), and then we get it back. That is the cycle of helping the poor in the kingdom. It works every time, just like praying and getting answers works every time.

But Jesus said in Matthew 6 that giving alms to the poor, if we keep our activities silent, will specifically bring us a reward too. It’s a personal benefit that goes outside the basic cycle of “give alms and get paid back.”

The same is true for prayer. There is a reward from God that sits on top of the basic cycle of “pray and get answers.”

God is so good that He not only answers our cries for help, He actually rewards us for crying out to Him. It’s like His father heart compels Him to not only answer us and give us what we need, but also to shower us with treats and rewards just for thinking of Him and desiring His help! Isn’t that incredible?

If you’ve never specifically asked God for the REWARD that comes with private prayer, won’t you ask Him today?

Remember that the reward is not the same as the answer to prayer; God answers our prayers because we ask Him to. But Matthew 6:5–6 tells us that He rewards us simply because we took the time to get alone with Him and ask Him for anything! What a great joy that is — and what a marvelous display of our Father’s goodness and kindness toward us!

If you’d like to begin receiving rewards for your praying today, pray this simple prayer with me:

Dear Heavenly Father, Your word says that You will reward me openly when I pray in my room with my door closed. Therefore, I would like to point out to You right now that I pray in my room, alone with You with the door closed, every day. I have rarely, if ever, asked to be rewarded just for praying and interceding, but I do ask it today.

Father God, in Jesus’ name, I ask that You would please reward me openly today for praying. Reward me greatly. Send great and mighty surprises my way — gifts from Yourself that I couldn’t otherwise imagine, receive, or earn. Shock me and surprise me with the open rewards You have for me. It’s been a long time coming, Father, but I can feel my faith rising up to meet what You promise in Your word.

Thank You for pointing out this scripture to me today. Send me every reward that You have for me because of my fasting, praying, and even alms-giving, I pray. Thank You, Abba Father. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Friend, can you believe the Lord today to REWARD you for praying in your room with the door closed?

Remember that whatever is not of faith is sin. Therefore, even if you have to say, “Lord, I believe! Help me in my unbelief!” — then do so. Go into your room, close the door, pray, and believe that God will reward you for the mere act of crying out to Him. Believe what Jesus said, and believe that the goodness of the Father is directed toward YOU today.

Do you receive this word of encouragement for yourself? If so, leave a comment!

This article is part of a series. Find the other installments at the links below.

Part 1. The Intercessor’s Joy: Resting in Fullness
Part 2. The Intercessor’s Joy: Ministering to the Heart of God
Part 3. The Intercessor’s Joy: You Need a Covenant Prayer Partner
Part 4. The Intercessor’s Joy: Ask God for Signs of Land
Part 5. The Intercessor’s Joy: Angelic Encounters
Part 6. The Intercessor’s Joy: Inside Information

Jamie Rohrbaugh is the founder and CEO of From His Presence. She is the author of Getting to Know the Sevenfold Holy Spirit, and she seeks to equip you to carry His manifest glory everywhere you go. Her resources have been published by YouVersion Bible Plans and in Charisma magazine, as well as on The Elijah List, Spirit Fuel, and various other ministry outlets. You can find free mentoring on her podcast, Take Your Territory with Jamie Rohrbaugh, which is available through your favorite podcast streaming app. Download her free prayer tool, Praying the Names of God: 555 Biblical Names of God and How to Use Them in Prayer and Worship, here. Photo Credit: Canva.