THE SECRET PLACE (3)

“You called in trouble and I delivered you; I answered you in the SECRET PLACE of thunder” – Psalm 81: 7

God calls His people to hear and listen at THE SECRET PLACE: “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. “Hear, O My people, and I will admonish you! O Israel if you will LISTEN to Me!” (Psa.81: 7-8). When God brought the people of Israel from Egypt through the Red Sea, to Mount Sinai, He appeared to the nation as a visible Fire on the mountain and spoke to them with a thundering audible voice. The encounter was so awesome, the people asked that Moses go instead and speak to God by himself on their behalf (Exo, 20:19). The psalmist described this scene with the most unusual phrase: “the SECRET PLACE of thunder.” God viewed the convocation with His people on Mount Sinai as a “secret place” encounter with them.

The Lord called His people aside to a deserted mountain in order to speak to them and give them His commandments. God has always designed that the Secret Place be a place where He answers us and speaks to us. There is nothing more glorious in all of life than hearing the Voice of the Lord. He has always longed to have the kind of intimate relationship with His people wherein they hear Hi Voice and respond accordingly. As Matthew 6:6 proposed, we close the door to our secret place in order to shut out all distracting voices and tune our hearts to the One Voice which we long to hear. The place where we come aside to be with the Lord, is referred to as “The Secret Place of Thunder”!

Hearing the Word of God is vital to life. Our Lord Jesus often talked of the necessity of hearing: “He who has ears to hear, let him hear!” (Matt.13:9). Everything in the Kingdom of God depends on whether or not we hear His Word. The most important treasures in the Kingdom are predicated upon the imperative of hearing God. Everything changes in our lives when we hear from God and act upon that Word. This is the wellspring of eternal life; the fountainhead of Kingdom Power and Authority; and the source of wisdom, understanding, and direction with precision.

Based on this necessity for hearing and listening, our prayer life should incorporate sacred seasons of silence. It’s a great delight to talk to God, but it’s even more thrilling when He talks to us. We’ll find that He has more important things to say than we do. Things may not change when we talk to God; things change when God talks to us. When we talk, nothing may happen; when God talks, the Universe comes into reality. So, the power of prayer is not found in convincing God of our agenda, but in waiting upon Him and listening to hear His Agenda.