“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
Dear Ones:
The God of the Old Testament is the same as of the New, for Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today, and forever. In light of this fact, it is safe, and certain, to assume that His ways have not changed since the day of Adam, Abraham, David, the coming of Christ, unto this present day. Though we may see a progressive, and increasing revelation of the person of God, as revealed in Christ, we must realize that His thoughts and ways do not change. Why do we begin by considering these facts? It is because the application of what we see expressed in the Old Testament, and reaffirmed in an amplified way in the New Testament, is that which is not only needful for us to live by faith, but also, to experience true and profound fellowship with God. Where then do we begin?
We begin with the experience of the man Moses who made a most marvelous discovery. He discovered that for the individual believer, God DWELLS in the secret place, and there, He desires to meet, reveal Himself to us. What is this secret place? It is a hidden place, a place of aloneness. The Lord Jesus would call it a “closet,” where the door can be closed. (Matt. 6:6) Why is it so very important, even fundamental to the faith of the believer, to do grasp this? It is because our highest calling is not to service, but to worship. When we look at Isaiah’s vision of God, and consider the seraphims in the heavenly temple (Isaiah 6:1-3), surrounding the throne of God, we find that they have six wings. Four of these wings are used in the worship of God, two of them to cover their faces, and two their feet. It is only with two that they fly to serve. When Jesus was confronting Satan, as He was being tempted in the wilderness, he responded by saying, “…for it is written, ‘Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou serve.” (Matt. 4:10) Worship always precedes service. What then is that primary place of worship? It is in the secret place, that place of aloneness with God, where we can give Him all or our undistracted attention. It is THERE that He reveals Himself to the soul, and becomes the dominant reality of the believer’s life and perspective.
There is another aspect of dwelling in the secret place, and it has to do with LIVING in His constant presence. David wrote in Psalm 16:8, “I have set the Lord always before me: because He is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.” Here is a man, like Moses, who had learned the necessity of the hidden life of personal, individual worship of God, but also, the abiding life in the presence of God. The Lord Jesus would put it another way: “Abide in Me, and I in you.” (Jn. 15:4) In this passage, He reveals the reality of the believer’s union with Christ, the branch attached to the Vine. That positional, true relationship, is realized by faith when one lives a life of abiding in Christ. This means, not only living IN His presence, but also, BY His presence, His life. As one author put it, “…deriving our lives from Him by that inward act of faith.” So then, there is the hidden life of personal worship of God which is essential if He would become a reality to us, and faith would grow. Then, there is that hidden life in the presence of Christ, who is at our right hand, even in our hearts. It is by Him, for Him, and unto Him, that we are to live. His life is to be our own, as we live “…by the faith of the Son of God.”
Dear Father, give us a vision of what is possible in the secret, or hidden place with Thee. Enable us to understand that it is your blessed will to reveal Thyself to our hearts according to Your truth in that secret, hidden place of certain good. And then, as we go out into the day, enable us to live in the reality of Your presence and power, believing you to bless others in and through us, bringing many to a saving knowledge of Thee. We praise and thank Thee in Jesus’ name.
Love, Dad