THE SECRET PLACE (9)

“Now it came to pass in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God” – Luke 6:12

Jesus is our Model on how Divine Secrets for Life’s Choices and Decisions flow from THE SECRET PLACE: “Now it came to pass in those days that he went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God. And when it was day, He called His disciples to Himsel; and from them He chose twelve whom he also named apostles” (Lk.6: 12-13). Whenever we have decisions before us and we’re not sure what to do, rather than fret, it’s time to run into the Secret Place! To God, it’s not only important what decision we make, it’s also important how we come to make those decisions – that we make decisions from the fountainhead of Intimacy with Him.

When making major decisions, our Lord Jesus Christ set an example by going to the Secret Place. He knew it was critically important that He select precisely the right twelve men to be apostles because the right men properly chosen would change the world. So, when it was time for Him to choose “the Twelve” from among all His followers, He got alone with His Father in prayer. Even the choice of Judas, His betrayer, was bathed in prayer. Such a weighty decision warranted a nightlong session of intense prayer in the sanctuary of solitude.

Our “Abba” Father is deeply interested in our lives’ affairs and longs to direct our decision-making processes. He says: “I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you” (Psa.32: 8-9). The horse and mule must be harnessed with bit and bridle to get them to come close. They don’t of their own accord. The Lord is saying, “I don’t want to guide you from a distance ot put a bit in your mouth and jerk you around in order to get your attention. I want you to draw close to Me, lean on My heart, and allow Me to direct your life from a place of Intimacy and Communion.”

The horse and mule “have no understanding” that proximity to the Master brings the greatest benefits; hence, they don’t come near. A mule would want to wander in its own way, but in so doing becomes unprofitable. God doesn’t want us to be mulish people who pull away in ignorant independence from our very Source of Life. The smartest place in the universe to be and to stay is right next to God. The wisest thing to do in life is to draw close to God and seek Him with all our heart. He guides us with His eye and directs our heart with His Heart!