Matthew 6:6
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.
Cross-reference
In Matthew 6:18, the same pattern of secrecy and reward is applied to fasting, completing the triad of pious acts.
In Matthew 6:4, the same 'Father who sees in secret' principle applies to giving, forming a triad with prayer and fasting.
In Matthew 6:9, Jesus provides the Lord's Prayer as the model content for the private prayer he commands here.
In Matthew 26:36-39, Jesus prays alone in Gethsemane, again embodying his own instruction for secret prayer.
In Matthew 14:23, Jesus goes up the mountain alone to pray, modeling the private prayer he taught.
In 2 Kings 4:33, Elisha goes into a room alone, shuts the door, and prays—a direct OT example of private prayer.
In Acts 10:9, Peter goes up on the housetop to pray alone, a clear example of seeking God in secret.
In Acts 9:40, Peter prays alone in the upper room before raising Tabitha, echoing secret prayer with power.
Isaiah 65:24 promises God answers before we call — reinforcing that secret prayer is heard and rewarded.
Mark 6:46 shows Jesus going alone to a mountainside to pray, directly modeling the private prayer taught here.
Luke 6:12 depicts Jesus spending the night alone on a mountainside in prayer—a powerful example of private, persistent prayer.
Luke 11:2 gives the Lord's Prayer as a model, complementing the instruction on secret prayer here with actual content.
In Psalm 34:15, God's eyes are on the righteous and His ears open to their cry—the promise behind secret prayer.
Isaiah 38:2 has Hezekiah praying privately — same private prayer action as in Matthew 6:6.
2 Kings 20:2 shows Hezekiah turning to the wall in private prayer — echoes the secret prayer setting.
In Genesis 32:24-29, Jacob wrestles alone with God all night—a solitary divine encounter that parallels secret prayer.
In Galatians 4:6, the Spirit enables believers to cry 'Abba, Father' — tying private prayer to intimate sonship.