Dwelling in God’s Secret Place
Sunday, January 24, 2010 A.M.
By Pastor James May
Have you ever had your own little secret place; a place where you could go to get away from it all; a place where you could be alone with your thoughts? Little children often find such a place where they can feel secure. Sometimes it’s a tree house, hidden among the limbs and leaves, where you can pull up the rope or the ladder and nobody else can get in. When I was a kid, I used to carve out trails and build a secret place right in the middle of a briar patch, then throw briars over the entrance after I was inside. I can remember spending a lot of time in briar patches just talking to God and thinking about things. Some of you might have had your secret place in a closet, or just a spot in the woods where you could be alone. We live in such a fast paced and demanding world that we all need a secret place now and then, where we can get alone with our thoughts; and alone with God.
The bible tells us that we all need that “secret place”. Jesus was teaching his disciples about prayer when he said in, Matthew 6:6, "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." This closet represents our little secret place; a place where we can get alone with God in prayer.
That “Prayer Closet” can be anywhere. It can be a certain stump or log in the woods, or just a long walk in the open field. For a lot of people its behind the steering wheel of a car, or when you are lying awake in the early hours of the morning, perhaps kneeling beside your bed. Wherever it is, and however you do it, you must have a prayer closet, for there is where you learn to commune with God on a very personal level.
Psalms 91:1 tells us that there is great value in having that secret place with God, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."
In the days of King David, when this Psalm was written, there was a very special secret place where a man could truly be alone with God. There were very few that ever found that place, or were able to enter in. It was called the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle, or the Temple and it was a place where a man could be in very presence of El Shaddai, “God Almighty; The All Sufficient One”. It was a place where the glory and majesty of God shone forth in its greatest manifestation on earth. It was the very center of God’s presence among men. What an awesome experience that must have been; to stand before the Ark of the Covenant; to look upon the brightness of His glory; and to see the very glory of God as it shone upon the Mercy Seat between the Cherubims! That was the ultimate in secret places. The first one to enter into that place was Moses and after him only the High Priest of Israel on very special occasions could enter there.
The great thing about this secret place with God is that now every Born Again Blood Washed Child of God can enter into that place with God. We all have access to the Holy of Holies where we can be alone with God.
What is this secret place in God? It is in the very heart of God; in the center of his love, his mercy, his grace and His will. It is into this place that we are brought by the power of the Holy Spirit and the Blood of the Lamb. No one can enter there except through the blood of Jesus. No one can feel the perfect love of God; no one can comprehend the richness of his grace; and no one can know the very heart of God until we come to that secret place in Him.
This is the place where every one us can dwell if we are willing to pay the price to be there. No half-hearted or lukewarm Christian can dwell in God’s secret place – they’ll never find it while the world is still shining brightly in their eyes. No one who is not Born Again could ever hope to find God’s Secret Place because the power of sin has them blinded to it’s existence and they cannot find the way unless it revealed to them through the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation. It is not until the heart of a man is cleansed by the blood of Christ; and his understanding is given the light to see; and his will is surrendered to Christ; that he can begin to know the very heart of God.
But what blessings there are for those who find that Secret Place in God! What beauty there is to behold! What wonders there are to see! Let us take a deeper look into this thing called God’s Secret Place!
Psalms 91:2, "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."
When we enter into that Secret Place in God is when we begin to learn that we can truly lean on Him. One of the greatest consolations that we have as Born Again Children of Almighty God is that we learn that God has everything under control. Whatever comes our way, be it good or be it bad, it’s all in God’s hands, and He will always allow only that which will make us better, make us stronger and make us ready for that moment when we will live with Him forever in Glory.
Psalms 91:3-5, "Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;"
David knew what it was to be hunted in an attempt to be snared by his enemies. King Saul was constantly after him to kill him. As a bird is snared by a trap, so is the soul of a man that is lost. He lives his life unsuspecting of the snare in which he is caught. He is ignorant of the fact that Satan has captured his eternal soul and condemned it to die, alone and without God. Such is the condition of those who know not Christ. They are blind to the Truth and are convinced that all is well. Unless the mercy of God reaches out to them and awakens them to their sinful condition, they come to the end of their days and are suddenly aware of the snare; a trap from which there is no escape.
I thank God for the delivering power of the El Shaddai. I thank God that we can be set free from the snare of the devil. We do not have to listen to his evil laughter, or hear the shrieks of pain and agony in the pits of hell – we are delivered from that “Noisome Pestilence” called eternal death.
Like an eagle protects her young, God Almighty, the “All Sufficient One” has us under His wing if we are one of his own. In His sufficiency we can trust. The Truth of His Word shall never fail, and it is His Word and His power that keeps us bound to His Secret place.
A man or woman who is Born Again by the Blood of Jesus and the power of the Holy Spirit need not fear death which brings what other men call night, for us it is not darkness. Instead it is the stepping into the light of an eternal day in that Secret Place with God. The arrows that fly by day are the temptations and attacks of our enemy that are meant to kill the soul, destroy our faith and steal our eternal life. But we need not fear them for our God is able to destroy all of the works of the enemy.
Such is not the case for the lost. For their faith is already dead, temptations overtake them daily and they fall as prey to the attacks of the devil and their end is eternal death for they have no protection outside of Jesus. Without His overshadowing blood there is no hope at all.
Psalms 91:7-8, "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked."
God is able to keep and protect those that are His. If we dwell in the Secret Place with God then we can be assured that He will give us deliverance and victory when everything else and everyone else around is dying and facing the wrath of God.
In these last days this is a very comforting thought; to know that no matter what the world will face; no matter what disasters my come; our God is able to deliver us through it all.
When Israel was down in Egypt, slaves to Pharoah, God sent judgments against Egypt to express his power and his wrath at anyone who would try to destroy his chosen people. The flies, frogs, lice, water turning to blood and finally the plague of death swept through the land, but none of those things visited the Land of Goshen where God’s people dwelt.
Even when the sun was turned to darkness over all the land, there was still light in Goshen. We serve a Mighty God. There’s nothing too hard for Him to do.
In these last days we are beginning to see the judgments of God that coming on the earth. God’s great wrath is about to be poured out on this sinful world and men who refuse to serve God will be cut down as wheat in the field.
But when all of those who are left behind to face the terrible judgments of God are dying by the thousands, and tens of thousands, and going into the very pits of hell; those who are born again will be a long way away, enjoying the glory of Heaven in that Secret Place with God. We shall come back with Christ and we shall see his judgments upon men; and in that day we will see the reward of those who are wicked.
Psalms 91:9-10, "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."
The evil of sin cleaves to the best of saints, the evil of temptations besets them, and the evil of afflictions comes upon them, as chastisements from the Lord; for they must expect to receive bad times, as well as good, by God’s permission. But the evil of punishment never touches them.
For those who dwell in the Secret Place of God, the calamities and disasters that strike them are not taken as punishment for sin; but for proof that God will keep us through them all. The things that come against mankind to punish him, only has the effect of making a true Child of God a little stronger because we have learned to trust in God and lean upon him through all things.
We know that, somehow, all of this will work for our good. That’s God’s promise to those who dwell in His Secret Place.
Psalms 91:11, "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways."
Have you ever sensed the presence of an angel around you? Have you ever seen one? Have you ever known someone who has seen an angel? There have many times when angels appeared to men this have been recorded in the Bible. Do you think that angels still appear to men?
In several places the Bible tells us that God places angels around us to watch over every move we make.
When my Sister-in-Law was dying of cancer I believe that she saw an angel in her room as she nearer to the end. She was barely able to speak when she asked who that was standing at the foot of her bed dressed in white? We could see no one there. There were only three or four of us standing or sitting around her bed, and none of us were wearing white. But she saw someone. It had to be an angel, sent from Heaven, to watch over her in her last moments. There is no doubt that when she drew her last breath on this earth, that the angles of God carried her away to be with the Lord. Her body had been destroyed by cancer, but her faith had remained strong, and her soul went to be with her Lord to dwell forever in His Secret Place.
But she had to have been in that Secret Place with God long before the day of her death arrived.
There have been numerous times when we would hear the testimony of those who experienced strange things happening in their lives. Some have come through automobile accidents that should have killed them without a scratch. A few right here in our own church are alive today even though they flipped a convertible upside down in an accident that could have been deadly had it not been for those guardian angels.
Some have had some very close calls with death and wondered how they managed to escape. It was probably your angels watching over you. There are times during our praise and worship when I can sense the very presence of the angels of God as they join in with us. It pays to dwell in God’s Secret Place.
Psalms 91:15-16, "He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation."
What a privilege we have in Jesus; that we can call upon him day or night! His ears are always open to the prayers of His people. If we make the call, the line is never busy; we don’t get a recorded message; we get to speak to El Shaddai and He always gives us the answer we need, when we need it.
God doesn’t ignore prayer. A lot of people don’t pray because they don’t think there’s anyone listening. Because the answer doesn’t come immediately, or because they don’t get the answer they want; they quit praying. It’s hard work sometimes, getting into that Secret Place in God. But keep knocking, keep seeking; keep asking –God hears your cry and He has promised to answer.
God promises deliverance, honor, long life and salvation to those who will dwell in that Secret Place in God. He delivers us while on earth from the snares of the devil; then he delivers us from the power of sin unto salvation. He honors us by giving us a place in Heaven; to be called the Children of God; Heir and joint-Heirs with Christ. The He gives us long life. It doesn’t mean just here on this earth, but life eternal. The life that you have right now will last forever. You will never die, only pass from one place to another. It is God’s great pleasure to show you His salvation and to bring you forever to dwell in His Secret Place.
Are you dwelling in God’s Secret Place this morning? Do you know Jesus as your Savior? Have you been washed in the Blood of the Lamb and Born Again by the power of the Holy Ghost?
Let us draw ever nearer to the Lord in prayer and in dedicated living for Him. Let us ever search for God’s Secret Place until we find it and then lets stay there.
There is no better place to be than in the very Heart of God, dwelling in His awesome presence; guided by the Holy Spirit; feeling His anointing and walking in His will. Find that Secret Place in God and let God live in you.
In the words of Jesus himself, as recorded in Revelation 22:17, "...And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely. "
There’s always room for more in God’s Secret Place!
