The Secret Place

 

 Many believers feel that spending time with Abba is something that is strenuous and even tedious, and it brings about the feeling of resentment and frustration when we try to bring ourselves to that place of surrender and “being still.” What the Lord has taught me is that the secret place is just that. It’s YOUR secret abode with God. It doesn’t look or feel like everyone else’s. I’d like to shed light on something: Spending time with Jesus can be so fun, and when we let go of all of the strategic thinking, we can let him just be himself, and in turn, we can let go of control and be ourselves as well. In Matthew 19:14, the disciples tried to get rid of the children that came running up to Jesus as he was ministering, and he said: “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” What was Jesus trying to tell us? We are children to him! No matter what age, we’re children. Offspring of the Most High God. One day, I was running errands with my husband, and the Lord began to teach me something. I’d like to share it with you! Through meditation on the scripture, Matthew 19:14, the Lord began to show me that we must always come to him with a childlike mindset. In my case, I had to let go of all of the religious beliefs and thoughts I had been taught for 20+ years to truly experience him in my life. He showed me that children are always willing to learn & are always asking questions. So, because we are his children, we too can learn from him and ask him anything! We ought not to be afraid of our Father and hold back on the feelings we feel, no matter how great or small they are. For those who have experienced childhood trauma like me, it takes time to understand that He can more than handle our big emotions! Some of which we may not understand, but he does! Bring it to him and watch him reveal himself to you. In 1 John 4:18, it reads, “There is no fear in love. But perfect love drives out fear, because fear has to do with punishment. The one who fears is not made perfect in love.” God is giving us an open invitation to be ourselves, and he will do the rest. It’s a call to simply surrender the pain, the trauma, the anger, and all of the “I don’t knows” to him and let him be perfect. I want to emphasize this; let HIM be perfect, not you. He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek him. (Hebrews 11:6) What if I told you that you can spend a lifetime playing hide and seek with God? He, being the one who hides, and you being the one who seeks him out? He is bigger than you & knows where you are at all times; mentally, physically, and spiritually, so he has to hide, but you’ll have so much fun finding out the different levels your Heavenly Father has to himself, oh! And when we discover each of them, it is a new level you will discover about yourself. It is a lifelong treasure hunt with Jesus. Many people come to me and say, “I hear from God a lot in the shower, I don’t know why,” and I smile on the inside, because they don’t realize that by still waters, he is restoring their souls. (Psalm 23:2) “He lets me rest in green meadows; he leads me beside peaceful streams.” Not everyone’s secret place is water, but if you clear your mind and be still, you will have that “aha!” moment and realize just where that is, and what that looks like for you and God. There are different seasons of our lives, and sometimes our secret place in the spirit may change, but there is so much beauty in that. I know as humans we may not like change, but when everything changes around us, one thing remains the same, and that is the presence of God in our lives. I pray today that your spiritual eyes & ears may be opened and your heart be filled with great excitement and expectation to go and meet with your Father daily. He waits for us in our secret place daily to hear from us, to sit with us, to cry with us, to jump around in joy with us, to embrace us, and give us what we need for the journey. I know in my heart that he is excited to meet with you today, and every day. Have fun, and enjoy your secret place today.