I have things in my life that I prefer that no one can see. I want them to remain where they are--in the hidden places, in the closets, deep within my heart. I have places that I don't want to deal with. To deal with them would require me to spend time getting involved in a big project of cleaning out the clutter and dirt. For some time, my earthly body has hurt so much, that type of cleaning has seemed more than I can even think about tackling. I have tried to keep up appearances but was failing miserably. And I wanted to cover up the unattended corners. Looking deep within myself, I know that there are some unattended corners in my life, just as within my home that I prefer to have no one see.
This week has been clean up time. I received a gift that I kind of dreaded but also knew that it was a gift of love and one that I truly needed. A gift of moving what seemed to me as a big impossible collection of things that I wanted to "sort" followed by much needed cleaning. Wow! what a difference moving the things made. I can now see a way forward. Moving things exposed the dirt and dust behind things. The moving made cleaning so much easier. Dusting was done, sweeping and mopping were done for me and I am so thankful. What a blessing during this time of year and a Thanksgiving season! I truly am so thankful! What a blessing for me when I find it so hard to walk. This week I needed help, my secrets were discovered and brought out to view. Secrets I did not want anyone to see. My secret places needed cleansing--my sort of secret places got found. My secrets seemed embarrassing.
All of that started me to thinking about secret places. The idea of a secret place originated with God. Because He is Spirit and His glory is beyond our ability to perceive, we must meet with Him in the secret places of the heart in order to commune with Him. When Moses wanted to see the glory of God, the LORD explained that no man could see God and live (Exodus 33:20). So God allowed Moses to see His glory only from a secret place. In Exodus 33:22, God said, “When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” God was giving us a peak into what we must do to experience the presence of God. It appears that it can only be enjoyed when we enter His secret place.
The Secret Place is a term used to describe the intimate relationship that we can have or want to have with God. It is a place of refuge, peace, safety, and rest. It is a place where we can commune and talk with God, hear His voice, and be refreshed and recharged. Depending upon your Bible translation, the term “secret place” can appear dozens of times in both Old and New Testaments. In the Old Testament, the term “secret place” comes from the Hebrew root word cether, which means “to hide or be concealed.” This word is used in Psalm 139:15, “My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.” It speaks of the hidden world of a mother’s womb as a child develops. But this word is also used in Psalm 32:7: “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
I decided to see what I could learn about secret places. I share some thoughts today! Although a secret place might be a physical location, it mostly is a state of a soul in its relationship with God. Psalm 27:5 says, “For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock” (NAS). The psalmist is not referring to an actual tabernacle or tent in which he will hide from physical enemies. He is speaking of the state of peace God gives in the midst of trials and attacks.
Psalm 91:1 is a good illustration of the importance of a secret place: “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (KJV). I like to remember the secret hiding places I enjoyed as a child. I liked our haymow or in the brooder house with the baby chicks. I also liked to sit in the bin that had shelled corn for the animals. Imagine being ten years old and finding a secret hiding place under the stairs or in the old granary loft where nobody could find you. To slip inside felt magical! You felt safe and protected from the world. You imagined that you could live there all the time and no one could find you. Often, a best friend or brother was invited to share it because secret hiding places are better shared with someone you love and trust.
That is the picture David was painting in Psalm 91. God has a secret hiding place, and He invites each of us to join Him there. Notice He does not invite us to visit. The promise is for those who “dwell” there. To “dwell” means we live there. It becomes our address. God invites us to pack up and move to His secret place. To do so we must walk away from the clamor and enticements of the world. We must be willing to quiet our hearts before Him and allow Him to investigate those inner recesses we reveal to no one else. Secret places imply honesty and trust. We cannot join God in His secret place unless we are willing to be transparent and honest with Him.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” Jesus was not necessarily indicating a physical location, because we can pray anywhere at any time. But to really connect with God, we must enter into the secret place in our own heart and meet God there. Quiet places help, and we should seek solitude when we want to spend uninterrupted time with God. It is also helpful to have a designated place we can go to spend time with God. Jesus did this while on earth. Although He often prayed in public, He also slipped away from the crowds and even His closest friends to spend time alone with His Father in solitude (Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42). But the secret place that Psalm 91 describes is not a physical location. It is a state of spiritual rest that prevails, regardless of outward circumstances.
There is great benefit from dwelling in “the secret place of the Most High.” When we choose to leave behind the world’s delights in favor of a lifestyle of spiritual devotion, God draws near in new ways (James 4:8). We begin to see our sin the way He does (Isaiah 6:1–5). Time spent in the presence of God reveals our true thoughts and selfish motivations that might otherwise escape unnoticed. From this secret place, the fruit of the Spirit takes root and grows (Galatians 5:22). We start to see our lives from an eternal perspective. Earthly frustrations lose significance.
We do not have to neglect responsibilities and relationships to dwell in this secret place. The key to moving there is a total surrender to the Holy Spirit and the will of God for our lives. This choice should dominate our actions and change our outlook. As we obey, God meets us in His secret place (see John 14:21). He teaches us and encourages us to remain. Our continual choice to surrender fully to Him results in His continued strength to do so. If our lives are to bear lasting fruit, the power to bear that fruit comes from time spent with Him in the secret place (John 15:4–5; 1 Corinthians 3:14–15; Psalm 92:12–14).
What does God say about the secret place?
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty, whose power no foe can withstand. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I confidently trust! Psalm 91:1,2.
I really like these verses--
You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways.
And Proverbs 21:2 Every way of a man is right in his own eyes, but the LORD weighs the heart. People may be right in their own eyes, but the LORD examines their heart. We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives.
Psalms 19:12-14 GNBUK No one can see his own errors; deliver me, LORD, from hidden faults! Keep me safe, also, from willful sins; don't let them rule over me. Then I shall be perfect and free from the evil of sin. May my words and my thoughts be acceptable to you, O LORD, my refuge and my redeemer! Another version--Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; Let them not have dominion over me: Then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
I was a bit embarrassed about some of my secret things. I am more embarrassed about some of the things I would like to keep secret from God! They are things I don't want Him to know about. But He Does!! I cannot hide anything from him. Not deep in the closet, not under the couch, not out in the darkest corner of the garage! Not hidden in the closet of my heart! He can see everywhere! I have no secrets from Him.
