“…there he built an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.” Genesis 12:7
Dear Ones:
There is a great deal of importance given in Scripture concerning places, in particular those places of worship or where the Lord reveals Himself to the individual. In Abraham’s day, we see where the Lord told him first to go to a land of promise, a land of the covenant between God and man. Upon his arrival in Canaan, after passing through the land, he came to, “…the place of Sichem, unto the plain of Moreh.” (Gen. 12:6) That which makes this place so notable is the fact that God appeared there unto Abram, and said, “…Unto thy seed will I give this land.” (v.7) It was there that Abram built an altar unto the Lord, and worshipped. Later, Abram moved “unto a mountain” on the east of Bethel. There too he built an altar unto the Lord, and “…called upon the name of the Lord.” (v.8) As Abram IS where God wants him to be, and worships God by means of the altar, calling upon him, that God reveals Himself to him. Once, when there was a famine in the land, instead of staying in that place “…of certain good,” Abram would go down to Egypt. There was no altar in Egypt, only a very dangerous situation. It would be when he returned to “…the place where his tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai, unto the place of the altar, “…that Abram would again call upon the name of the Lord.” The starting point for all faith and service is the worship of God, according to His way, in truth. That worship may be associated with a locality, whether physical or spiritual. The Jews of Jesus’ day, had come to believe that Jerusalem was the true place to worship God, and no doubt God did reveal Himself to the hearts of many who truly believed in Him. But Jesus told the Samaritan woman, “…the hour comes, when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.” (Jn.4:21) He goes on to say that true worship is characterized, not principally by the place of worship, but by the manner of worship, “…in Spirit and truth.” (v.24) The place of worship, that locality where God reveals Himself to the heart, is where God has called the believer to BE, LIVE, and SERVE Him. One thing is certain. If the believer is in the will of God, in the place of God’s choosing, and seeking Him in His way, then God will by the Spirit reveal Himself to the heart.
In Psalm 91, the Psalmist speaks of a “secret place,” a place where he desirous and seeking to dwell. He calls it the “secret place of the Most High.” (v.1) This “place” is hidden to the unbelieving eye. It is a place which faith alone sees, grasps, and chooses to live there. Jesus would call this place, “a closet,” or enclosed area with a door, for privacy. The great value of such an “solitary” place is that the Father is there, waiting to be sought and found by the seeking soul. There is a wonderful promise associated with having such a place of aloneness with God. Jesus says, “…and your Father who IS in secret (the hidden and private place), sees in secret, shall reward you openly.” (Matt. 6:6) The great reward given to the believer is the manifest presence of God, His peace, light, and love. Like Abram, the revelation of God to the heart comes by being in a certain place, in this case, a place of quiet aloneness with God, having shut out the “restless world which wars below.”
It seemed to be a common occurrence for the Lord Jesus, in the midst of His immensely busy schedule, to arise a great while before the dawn, in order to go to some quiet place of aloneness to pray. It would be there that the Father would reveal Himself to Him. Angels would come to comfort and strengthen Him. And heavenly guidance would be given.
Dear Father, Give us grace to abide where You dwell. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad