Do you have a secret place where you go to be with God?
Jesus did. He climbed up on the mountain of olives “as usual” Luke 22:39 tells
us to pray to His Father in heaven. In Matthew 14:23 Jesus went up on the
mountainside to pray. He went to a “certain place” to pray. Jesus had a secret
place, to get away alone with God.
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most
High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1). What an
incredible image of a place to find and hide in shelter. This psalm continues
to describe the secret place of God in verse 7 "You called in trouble, and I
delivered you;
I
answered you in the secret place of thunder;
I tested you at the
waters of Meribah. Selah
This place was probably Mt. Sinai from which God spoke and
presented His tablets of 10 Commandments.
Do you have a place you go to hear from God? I do. The
primary place is in a chair in our basement where I meditate on God’s word,
journal and pray. Some keys to this special place include time and heart. I set
aside this time every day. I bring my heart in alignment with Him through
repentance of sins and submission to God. However, I must say that I am not
always very good at listening. In 1 Samuel 3:10 Samuel goes to the place where
he heard God’s voice and said, “”Speak, Lord, for your servant is
listening.” Additionally I have
found an additional place in motion. I have been developing a morning
discipline of bicycling in the predawn darkness with lights on. This time
offers almost complete darkness, except the magnificent starry sky. At 5AM
there are no other riders and usually no cars. It is a time alone with God for
me. I start by finding words of praise or thanks. These words spread into song.
The Holy Spirit brings to mind words and melody. This new habit of singing
God’s word keeps Satan away and brings joy.
One of my favorite psalms also presents our secret hiding
place, “For in the time of
trouble
He
shall hide me in His pavilion;
In
the secret place of His tabernacle
He
shall hide me;
He shall set me
high upon a rock” (Psalm
27:5). Can you imagine that God will
hide you in His secret hiding place to protect you? I love that He will set me
high upon a rock.
I have
spoken of preparing our hearts and setting the time in our secret place. We
also need to find solitude and silence. This separation is vital for Intimacy
with the Almighty, as relates a book of the same title by author Chuck
Swindoll. This serenity with
God is an awesome experience. And now I have found that I can
find it in motion that has fluidity or cadence like bicycling, walking or
jogging provide. By the way, I have found that morning is the only time of day
when this solitude and silence can be more easily found.

It is
important to identify the need for endurance and patience in this discipline. “As
high as the heavens are above the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways
and my thoughts higher than your thoughts.” (Isaiah 55:9). God’s timing
and responses are seldom ours. His ways and answers are better than ours. He
knows our needs as opposed to wants.
So find
a secret place and go and meet with the Lord in intimate presence and His
peace.
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Thanks for sharing your thoughts.