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The Secret Place

Psalm 91 is a very well-known chapter. If you are not familiar with it, I suggest you read the entire chapter. I am in the middle of reading a book on Secrets Of The Secret Place by Bob Sorge (excellent reading, by the way), and some of this article is inspired by what he wrote. As Christians, we need to make time to be alone with God, yet that can be one of the greatest challenges as life's duties and pressures descend on us.

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty...Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee...Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.” [Psalm 91]

The first verse of Psalm 91 talks about dwelling in the secret place; it then describes all the protection for those willing to dwell in the secret place of the Most High. Jesus talked about going into the secret place and shutting the door as well. We often read in the Gospels that Jesus spent time in prayer, sometimes all night. In His busy ministry life with its constant pressures, nothing was more important to Him than spending time alone with the Father. What is this time with God?

Christianity—real Christianity—is not focused on doing things but on a relationship with God. We see this in the Mary and Martha syndrome.

And she had a sister called Mary, who was also seated at the Lord’s feet, and was listening to His word. But Martha was distracted with all her preparations; and she came up to Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to do the serving by myself? Then tell her to help me.” But the Lord answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; but only one thing is necessary; for Mary has chosen the good part, which shall not be taken away from her.” Luke 10:39-42, NASB

Martha was focused on doing—preparing the meal, being the perfect hostess, etc. Was what she was doing wrong? No. Jesus and his disciples were hungry; they needed to eat. It wasn’t that her activity was wrong, but that her priorities were wrong. Mary chose to sit at Jesus' feet and listen—the key word is "listen." Mary wasn't doing the talking; instead, she was hanging with anticipation on every word Jesus spoke. Her eyes gleamed with joy as the Great Teacher - the Messiah - not only taught His disciples but valued her presence as well.

Your Secret Place

Our relationship with Jesus is to be the priority. Everything else we do is to flow out of that relationship. As Bob Sorge points out, we can make the right decisions and do the right things, but if it comes from our wisdom and not our relationship with Jesus, we are still “missing the boat." Jesus did many things, but He could also say, “I do only those things which I see My Father do.” Why could He say that (remember He walked this earth as a human being doing nothing that you and I cannot do through the Holy Spirit)? He spent time in His secret place listening to the Father. It was His priority.

We all need to develop that Secret Place relationship with God. If the only time we have time to be alone with God is when we are in a crisis, then we are missing out on the real core of Christianity. It may look okay on the outside, but the inside is hollow. God wants us to come before Him regularly and listen. Too often, we are interested in doing all the talking. God is the One Who knows everything, so we need to spend more time listening than talking. Part of our relationship is sharing our thoughts, joys, fears, desires and goals, but we also need to praise, worship and listen. A relationship is a two-way street. Too often, Christians make it a one-way street of asking God to do things their way and then move on to the next item on their agenda. They may wonder why they don't feel like they have a close relationship with Jesus. A quality relationship takes time and two-way communication to build.

As we take the time to be with God, we show Him that He is our priority. We learn God's presence and have His sustaining power when the crisis hits (and it will hit). When we have a special place with God we can run to (and it is not a physical place), we will go through the problems of life even when “ten thousand” others are falling—including other Christians. Although the secret place can be entered at any time and anywhere, having a special time and place that we set aside for daily meetings with God is helpful. It doesn't matter where or when it is, but it needs to be as consistent as possible. Make it an appointment, and make it a priority!

For more information about Glenn Davis, see our About Glenn page or visit Glenn Davis Books.

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