THE SECRET PLACE (8)

“You shall hide them in the SECRET PLACE of Your Presence from the plots of man...” – Psalm 31:20a

Provision of Refuge from the plots of man and the strife of tongues is a major function of THE SECRET PLACE: “You shall hide them in the SECRET PLACE of Your Presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them SECRETLY in a pavilion from the strife of tongues” (Psa.31:20). The Secret Place is a place of refuge from troubles, tempests, and storms of life: “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” (Psa.27:5). Storms will inevitably assault everyone on this earthly plane, but there is a place where God hides His Beloved – the Secret Place!

The Secret Place is the Sanctuary of His Presence. A sanctuary is a place of refuge, asylum, or immunity. God’s abode is a sanctuary for war-weary soldiers, a place of immunity from the enemy’s plundering. David wrote: “So I have looked for You in the sanctuary, to see Your power and Your glory” (Psa.63:1). Interestingly, David wrote this psalm when he was in the wilderness of Judah, running for his life from King Saul. He was totally isolated, a political fugitive hiding in the wilderness for several years. He had no access to the sanctuary where the ark resided, so he was obviously not speaking of that sanctuary. David must have been referring to his Secret Life with God!

Even though in this season of trouble, he couldn’t worship before the ark, David discovered the Secret Place to be a shelter from the swirl of emotions and troubles that constantly bombarded his soul. Here, he could vent his anxious thoughts, regain strength for the journey, be renewed in God’s love as he gazed on His beauty, be quieted by the assurances of His heavenly Father’s protection, be healed from the wounds of human rejection; and enjoy divine security and safety. The Secret Place is like the eye of the storm. While all is storming about us, we find an inner sanctuary of Rest and Peace. Paradoxically, in the Secret Place, we experience both storm and peace simultaneously.

The storm doesn’t necessarily stop when we retreat to the Secret Place. In fact, it may seem to escalate in intensity, and instead of finding refuge, we first find turbulence. While the Place of Prayer is a place of immunity, it is also one of Satan’s favorite places to attack the devout. The assurance to the Believer, however, is that when he is attacked in the place of prayer the Father is exercising sovereign jurisdiction over the entire affair. Nothing can happen to us in the Secret Place that He doesn’t specifically allow for His higher purpose. We are totally immune from anything outside His Will. Psalm 91 highlights this tension of safety versus turbulence. Dwelling in the Secret Place makes the difference!