A person who prays constantly may have the experience of knowing that God is not all the time absent or present to them. Indeed, Jesus portrays God as our Heavenly Father who sees in secret, and his subsequent acts may tend not always be outwardly seen.

In today's gospel reading we hear Jesus teaching us to pray to our 'Father in secret'. To pray that way, we must first go into our inner room and close the door, and pray in secret. Then our Father who sees in secret will reward us. (v.6 ).

Jesus teaches us to do good in secret, to be so 'unseen' that even our right hand does not know what the left hand is doing (v.3). And when we abstain from worldly pleasures, we put on a clean and happy face, so that the abstinence 'may be seen not by others but by (our) Father who is in secret'.(v.4)

Therefore, although I may not experience God's presence, I know that he sees in secret, and he also knows my secret. That is enough for me.