Summer 1981
The Secret Place
By IQ Spencer

Rewritten by Wade Taylor
President of Pinecrest

The psalms of David are filled with the heart cry of a man seeking for a deep personal relationship with the Lord Himself. David desired to know the Lord for who He is, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, rather than for what the Lord could do for him.

David proclaims, “Thou art my hiding place; thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance” (Psalm 32:7). The Lord responds, “I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will guide thee with mine eye. Be ye not as the horse or as the mule, which have no understanding: Whose mouth must be held in with bit and bridle, lest they come near unto thee” (Psalm 32:8-9). The Lord gives His word of encouragement and promise that He will guide, teach and protect, but exhorts David to be open to His guidance and to come close to Him, that he not be a man lacking understanding.

How we need this clarity of spirit-led guidance and vision among the Lord’s people today. As world pressures are increasing, we must heed the exhortation in His Word to make Him our portion. Psalm 91 promises deliverance and victory in the time of trouble to “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most high. . .” We need to clearly hear this with our spiritual hears and appropriate His words and digest them until they become a part of our very bones. God will have a people who have chosen Him—for Himself, alone—rather than what He can do for them in provision or blessing.

There are many distracting influences that can draw us away from a true, sincere devotion to the Lord. These forces have power over us, but only through our own choosing or allowing. We must be made consciously aware of this fact—the Lord does not over-ride our wills; He calls, leads and draws us, but we are given the free will to choose in every area of our life. We must choose even to respond to His wooing of our hearts into the secret abode of intimacy with Him.

The pulls away from this secret place are many. There looms the desire to get ahead or be recognized; to find earthly security; to make provision against the world for what might happen. All of these things obscure Jesus if we allow them to. We easily forget His promise in John 16 that “In the world ye shall have tribulation, but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world.” What Jesus says is, “Fear not.” He has promised to care for us, for we are His flock. In Him, we partake of all that He has won, as we have need.

When this doesn’t happen, it is because we have chosen the wrong dwelling place, or have set our affection on something other than Him. When that happens, He patiently waits, ready to help as we turn to Him. His word to us is to find that secret place where He dwells, and make that our real home.

David erected the tent on Mt Zion for God to dwell in, but David’s heart became the Lord’s abode as this earthly king opened up his being fully for the King of Kings to enter in. God says He will reward those who seek Him. The reward—God Himself. Nothing compares to this eternal treasure.

In Romans 8, we are presented with exhortation, promises and the marvelous word that all things work together for good to them that love God (make Him our secret abode) and then comes the encouraging word, “If God be for us, who can be against us?” We must let Him claim us fully and then the victory is ours.