Shhh... It's a SECRET... or is it?

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High 

                           shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”  (KJV)

 

In commenting on Psalm 91:1 in his C-2000 Through the Bible Commentary, Chuck Smith wrote that:

“There’s a place that you and I can live, in Christ Jesus. A place of glorious safety, a place of glorious peace, of joy, where you and I can experience God’s power and God’s protection, God’s goodness.”

I know that I talk about her a lot, but my wife was a living example of this explanation of The Secret Place that the Psalmist and other writers of the Old Testament have written about.  Whether it was in the middle of the kitchen preparing to serve the delicious meal in the midst of a large family holiday gathering, or a Youth fundraiser dinner, or at a youth retreat in the great outdoors, cooking over an open fire for 25 youth plus attending leadership… and don’t forget the new family dog… Piper was the one you wanted to be right in the middle of it all! 

Wherever she went, she brought with her a contagious serving of God’s peace, God’s power and the accompanying senses of joy, calm and safety.  If personal temperatures got a little heated in the kitchen, she had an uncanny sense of humor that would draw everyone into laughter, causing them to forget why they were getting annoyed.  She was quick on her feet (and thinking) and could come up with a solution in almost an instant.

But those skills that she possessed did not come overnight.  Granted she was endowed with a wonderful sense of humor, had an encouraging spirit and an outwardly joyous disposition, nevertheless, she still had to work at honing the gifts and talents that were given her.

And how did she do that, you might ask?  Well, its elementary my dear Watson… she spent regular time in The Secret Place!  Psalm 31:19-20 tells us all about it…

“Lord, how wonderful you are! You have stored up so many good things for us, like a treasure chest heaped up and spilling over with blessings—all for those who honor and worship you! Everybody knows what you can do for those who turn and hide themselves in you.  So hide all your beloved ones in the sheltered, Secret Place before your face. Overshadow them by your glory-presence…” (TPT)

Unlike me, she wasn’t one to rise up early to get in the Word first thing but would always set aside time during her daily activities to be alone in the presence or The Secret Place of the Lord. 

The key to finding and living within the parameters of The Secret Place is found at the end of Psalm 31:19 where the Psalmist explains, “Everybody knows what you can do for those who turn and hide themselves in you.”  It would therefore seem that the secret to The Secret Place… is you and I making the quality decision to individually stop and turn away from our busy schedules and make the effort and the time to hide ourselves away alone with Him for a predetermined period of time… on a regular basis.

It is a decision that each of us has to make on our own and then stick to it.  It is something that is between you and the Lord.  It doesn’t need to be advertised or be a big thing… it just should be a consistent thing that we do!  Psalm 31:20 goes on to tell us of the result of our going into The Secret Place declaring that the Lord hides His beloved ones in the shelter of The Secret Place of His presence and overshadows us with His glory!

After growing up with my wife from our teenage years until the beginning of our senior years, I can say without a shadow of a doubt, that Piper’s regular time hidden away in The Secret Place of the Lord is what gave her the ability to let her light shine in an even keel, spreading peace, joy and encouragement wherever she went.  And speaking for me… I would also say without a shadow of a doubt, that my daily time in The Secret Place of the Lord is what empowered me to care for my wife 24/7 for eight years with a smile on my face (most of the time…), strong faith in my heart and with lots of patience when the naysayers spoke and acted against us.

So, while The Secret Place may not be such a big secret to those of us who have an on-going and ever-growing personal relationship with the Lord… it is a place that each of us needs to go on a regular basis… in SECRET… away from the rest of our world!

Have you been to The Secret Place yet today?