Our Secret Place

“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Ps 91:1 AV)

This verse has always intrigued me.  The secret place is what really exercises the mind.  What is a secret place?  Why does it have to be secret?  From whom is it a secret?  If God wants all to experience His grace, why would He keep a place that is secret?  Does this secret place exist for all?  Or, just for a few?  Is this secret place a different place for each individual and is that why it is a secret?  We will consider this in a moment.  I do want to point out the suggestion that the secret place casts a perfect shadow.  In other words, if one is in the secret place, he is always in the shadow.  For this to be the case, the source of overbearing heat and light must be directly above.  This would suggest this secret place can protect in the hottest part of a trial or temptation.  So, what is this secret place that protects us from the harshest of all of life’s situations?  One hint is the meaning of the word secret here.  It means a private place.  It does not mean a place that no one else knows about.  This secret place is a place where one can be by oneself, or in this case, alone with God.

My father had some sort of office in the homes that he owned.  It varied from time to time.  In the house in which I grew up, his office transitioned from one room to the next.  I remember three locations.  The first was downstairs.  There was a mother-in-law apartment that was actually used as spare space.  This apartment had two rooms, a bathroom, and a kitchen.  In one of those rooms was all my Dad’s music records as well as a piano and all our instruments.  That room was his office for a few brief months.  Then he moved upstairs to a space that joined two bedrooms.  Off of this space were the master bedroom and the girl's bedroom.  He remodeled this small space into his office.  This, too, lasted but a short while.  He turned that space over to a library.  Eventually, he moved his office into the master bedroom.  My mom was not too pleased.  Then we moved to a more modern house about two hours away.  Here, my Dad was able to claim a downstairs bedroom as his office.  He set up his multiple computers, his desk, all his assembled models, and all of his music collection.  Even though my father used several spaces as his office, there were some constants.  First, no one was allowed in that space unless they had my father’s permission.  Second, no one left anything in that space.  It was my father’s space, alone.  But there was another constant.  When someone was in with my father, we all knew it was a private moment.  Sometimes it was for correction.  Sometimes it was for mutual fellowship.  There were times when someone would enter because he needed permission or guidance.  Whatever the case, when someone went into my father’s office, he knew he instantly had privacy with Dad for whatever need was pressing.

There is a place of prayer and devotion that belongs to you and God alone.  We may pray as a group when assembled to worship or fellowship.  We may share thoughts and concerns as we study the Bible together.  However, there are times (at least once a day) when the soul needs that private time with God alone.  The secret place.  Sometimes that private time includes a special place.  Sometimes it is merely in our living room reclining back.  Or, that secret place could be amid a congregation as the message is preached and the Holy Spirit does His work.  No matter where or when that secret place is, it is always a shadow of protection against the things that threaten us the most.  The choice is ours, though.  Notice our Psalmist uses the word, dwelleth.  To dwell somewhere means we have to travel and arrive.  Once arriving, we must stay.  God will not forcibly place us in the secret place.  We have to go there.  We have to open the pages of His word.  We have to commune with Him by prayer.  We have to open our hearts as we heard the word of God taught or preached.  This secret place has an invitation.  The door is open.  All we need to do is walk right in and stay there.