Psalm 91:1-2 “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

As a child I had many secret hideouts where I went when I wanted to be alone.  One of my favourite places was on the limb of the grapefruit tree near the belfry where I was able to sit and read to my heart’s content. Even now as an adult I realize that there are times when I just need to take time out and retreat to my secret places.  Over the years it has not always possible physically, but I have learnt to cultivate that secret place deep down inside of me. Deep down inside there is a quiet place of stillness where God sits me down by still waters, restores my soul and washes off the dirt that stains my being.  In this  place God teaches my ear to listen and my tongue to speak languages that refreshes the weary (Isaiah 50:4).   Here away from the strain and stress of living nothing or no one can disturb that place where God and I can communicate one to one. As the old hymn reminds us the secret place is where God takes “from our souls the strain and stress and let our ordered lives confess the beauty of [His] peace.”

Psalm 91 is one of those special secret weapon passages that bring me immense comfort in the secret place deep down on the inside when battles are ravaging on the outside and even simmering below the surface.  Growing up, I learnt this passage by watching my Dad use this passage over and over to bring strength and  calm to people’s lives when life storms raged.  In his own life, he modeled this passage over and over and it became ingrained in my DNA.  I remember hearing once that my Dad was in danger and I was literally drawn to reading this Psalm 91 for comfort.  When life has thrown challenge after challenge my way, I am constantly reminded to retreat to and dwell in the secret place of the Most High away from the demands of living.  This time in the heart of  God provides me with wisdom, knowledge and depth of insight in order to more effectively live the abundant life in the real world.

To dwell in the secret place, it is important that you learn from the best:- Jesus himself. Jesus was very effective at dwelling in the secret place.  He created the secret place and walked as the Lord God with Adam in the garden of Eden in the cool of the day.  On earth  as the Son of Man he spent loads of time alone in that secret place with God the Father which equipped him to operate effectively in His public ministry. He was not afraid to withdraw from the crowds and even his inner circle so that he could better serve them.  Remember when prior to choosing the twelve disciples he withdrew to the mountain to pray!   He wasn’t afraid to be alone to seek ‘God’s face and will and even sent the disciples ahead of him and joined them later. 

If Jesus needed a secret place like this, what say we, mere mortals? We need to dwell in the secret place that God provides for us: secret place, fortress so that we can be equipped to restore the weary and carry out the work He has called us to. So what are you waiting for?  Step away from the tyranny of being always on display, leave the maddening crowd and get to that secret place.  Once you enter in and dwell and abide under the shadow of the Almighty, you will never be the same again.

PRAYER

God you always know what we need to be an effective ambassador for you.  Give us the courage to drop all the trappings and come away to learn from you.  We run to your secret place knowing that we cannot survive unless we dwell there with you.  We rest in your presence.  Help us to follow in the footsteps of Jesus,  we are your children.   In Jesus name. Amen.