Two keys to the secret place

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 Psalms 91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

This is one of the earliest verses the Lord ever told me to claim as my own. 

I was on the sandy shore of the Persian Gulf. I and two fellow soldiers stood on the beach and prayed- concerned for our lives (we were there for the Gulf War). I remember now how I prayed as we all walked away from each other- each seeking a solitary place to talk to God. 

I remember the Lord breaking in on my prayers and telling me to open my Bible. And there, in the quickly fading daylight (or was it by flashlight? I don't truly remember now), he illuminated a promise to me that I would make it through the Gulf War. 

I'm a little bit slow witted sometimes. It would be years and years later before I would finally begin to sense the deeper invitation that was hidden in plain view within those precious words, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high..."

I was freshly biblically born again, but the Holy God of the universe was inviting me to LIVE (dwell) in a secret place (a special close relationship) with him (the MOST HIGH). 

Through the years he would have me preach sermons with themes like, "Come up hither" and "living where I AM." But, I was too dense to see that he was still inviting me personally to that same "secret place." It's been over 32 years since that precious dusty beach, but God is finally clearing away some of the layers from my eyes. 

My questioning has become "Lord, how do I dwell (live in) that secret place with you?"

The first answers are obvious. 

Prayer and Bible study. Without prayer and study, we will never learn of God nor grow any deeper in God. So we must absolutely take the time- not find the time- but MAKE the time to pray and read his word. It HAS to be of the highest priority in our lives.

But, beyond that he's beginning to show me some things. 

There are at least 2 (probably more) keys that can open up the secret place in God within our lives. 

1) Staying focused on God

Isaiah 26:3

"Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee." 

This ties in with Jesus being our priority. It's a promise. No matter what we are facing. No matter what we are going through. If we will keep our minds (our thoughts) focused on God, then he will keep us in perfect peace! This is exactly what Psalms 91 is saying. If we will stay focused on him, then we have the comfort (the peace) to know that we are under HIS shadow- he's watching over us. We know- no matter what- he's in charge. 

The three Hebrew men (Shadrack, Meshach, and Abednigo) in Daniel didn't have a direct word from God for their situation. But, they lived in prayer and in his presence every day. They knew that no matter what happened, they were not going to bow to the idol. They told the king that whether God chose to save them or not, they were not worshipping the idol. 

God showed up and shook the kingdom! They could stand on this because they dwelt in the secret place with God.

2) resting in the promises of God

Luke 8:22-25

King James Version

22 Now it came to pass on a certain day, that he went into a ship with his disciples: and he said unto them, Let us go over unto the other side of the lake. And they launched forth.

23 But as they sailed he fell asleep: and there came down a storm of wind on the lake; and they were filled with water, and were in jeopardy.

24 And they came to him, and awoke him, saying, Master, master, we perish. Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the raging of the water: and they ceased, and there was a calm.

25 And he said unto them, Where is your faith? And they being afraid wondered, saying one to another, What manner of man is this! for he commandeth even the winds and water, and they obey him.

Jesus is 100% God, but also 100% man. 

But, in his earthly ministry, he walked in a way in order to show us how we are intended to walk in his spirit. 

This snippet is one example of how he did that. 

He told them to get in the boat. They were going to the other side of the lake. 

As they "got busy," he went into the deeper recesses of the boat and went to sleep. 

Two mistakes I've made when I've gotten a word from God.

1) File the word away and concentrate on what God has done in the past. They had just left some awesome ministry. Spirit's were high. Excitement was in the air. "Wow! Remember this...and that...?"

It's easy to focus on yesterdays blessings and not notice today's storms until they're in our face. 

2) Focus on the new word. Try to understand it, disect it, analyze it. What exactly does he really mean by what he said for the future?

It's easy to be excited about the future and not see today's storms bearing down on us. 

Jesus knew what had happened before. Jesus knew where they were going. Did he jabber about either? Did he stand around in awe of the past? Did he wonder about the possible glories of the future?

No. He rested in the promises. He slept in the presence of the spirit of God so that when the future arrived, he was ready to do whatever the spirit told him to do. When the storm arrived, he was much more bothered by their lack of faith than by the storm.

Peter was in jail. He was being gaurded by 16 Roman soldiers. He was under a death sentence. The only reason he wasn't dead already was because it was a Jewish holiday and illegal to execute anyone on that day. Was he worried? Was he bawling and squalling? Was he frantically seeking a way out?

No. 

He remembered how Jesus had said he was going to die, compared the circumstances to that, and said, "It's not my time yet." Rather than chewing his nails off, he followed the example of his master, and went to sleep. The angel that was sent to free him had to wake him up to get him out. 

He was able to do this because he was resting in the promises and presence of God. He had learned the lesson of the lake in Luke 8. 

Jesus rebuked their lack of faith. Why? Because Jesus had told them they were going to the other side before they entered the boat. But their faith was on the storm, the circumstances, rather than on his promise. It became a teaching moment for them. 

So when Peter found himself in prison under a death sentence, he remembered Jesus promise to him and just rested in that promise. 

If we will a) stay focused on Jesus throughout our day and b) rest in his promises and presence, then we will be able to dwell in (live in) that precious secret place and know that no matter what- we are abiding under HIS shadow of protection- in his perfect peace.