THE SECRET PLACE (2)

“But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the SECRET PLACE” – Matthew 6:6a

It’s an incredible reality that the awesome God of the Universe invites us into THE SECRET PLACE: “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the SECRET PLACE; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly” (Matt.6:6). Our Father is in the Secret Place! He calls us to a breathing, growing relationship with Him! His Word will equip us to establish a meaningful secret place connection with Him. When our Lord Jesus Christ taught on Prayer, he gave primary emphasis to the Secret Place. Indeed, the first thing He taught concerning prayer was the primacy of the Secret Place: “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men” (v.5).

One of the least known Bible examples of Secret Place living is found in the life of Cornelius, the first Gentile believer. He was a devout Gentiel who committed himself to the Secret Place of Prayer. His piety was described as fourfold: “A devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always” (Acts 10:2). Cornelius gave regularly to the poor; loved a holy lifestyle; practiced fasting; and adhered to the secret place of prayer: Based on these four pursuits, God filled Cornelous and his household with the Holy Spirit and made them the first fruits of all Gentile believers.

By making Cornelius the catalyst for the redemption of the nations, God gave a powerful endorsement to his priority of cultivating a hidden life with God. It’s as though God said, “Cornelius, because of your passionate conviction for the secret place, your life is a model that I can reproduce in the nations. So I’m designating you to be the first Gentile to receive the Holy Spirit. I will share your devotion to the secret place to the nations!” It’s not sufficient to be informed of the Secret Place, we must passionately pursue and press in to get there and dwell there.

Our spirits must be stirred to join the ranks of those who are desperate for an intimate Embrace with God, the Lover of our souls. As we devote ourselves to the fiery passion of intimate communion with Him, His call that’s burning in our breast will be unstoppable. Indeed, the Secret Place is the Chief Secret! Our Father is already in the Secret Place. He has gone ahead of us. The moment we get to the Secret Place, we are in the immediate Presence of our Father. This is the Secret – the sure guaranteed way to have instant intimacy with our Father.