Fall 1993

The Secret Place
Wade E Taylor

"Deep calleth unto deep. At the noise of thy waterspouts,
all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me" Psalm 42:7.

The Psalms of David are filled with the heart-cry of a man seeking for a deep personal relationship with the Lord Himself. Again and again, David expresses a burning desire to intimately know the Lord on two levels of experience.

First, he desires to know the Lord face to face. "As the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appear before God?" Psalm42:1-2.

Second, he desires to know the Lord as one in whom he can place infinite trust." In God have I put my trust: I will not be afraid what man can do unto me" Psalm 56:11.

David was not satisfied to know the Lord merely as his Saviour, or as the King of kings who could do great things for him. Rather, he desired to know the Lord as a person with whom he could share times of intimate communion.

When he fell short of this experience, David repented before the Lord. "I acknowledged my sin unto you, and my iniquity I have not hidden. I said, I will confess my transgressions to the Lord, and you forgave the iniquity of my sin" Psalm 32:5 NKJ.

Now that David was free from all guilt and condemnation, he could say from within the depth of his being, "You are my hiding place; you shall preserve me from trouble; you shall surround me with songs of deliverance" Psalm 32:7 NKJ. There is a clarity of intent and trust in these words as they flow out from a heart of love and appreciation toward his Lord.

In this new level of relationship with David, the Lord spoke to him and gave him this very encouraging promise. "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with my eye. Do not be like the horse or like the mule, which have no understanding, which must be harnessed with bit and bridle, else they will not come near you" Psalm 32:9 NKJ.

David's repentance had brought him into such an intimate closeness to the Lord(I will guide you with my eye), that he was able to sense the desire of the Lord concerning him. Seeking to take David even further, the Lord exhorted him to be both responsive and obedient - "Do not be like the horse or like the mule."

We also desperately need this same clarity of Spirit-led guidance and protection that David experienced. As world pressures increase we must heed this exhortation in His Word to unconditionally make the Lord 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 must clearly hear with our spiritual ears, then appropriate His Words into our being and digest them until they become a personal reality within us.

The Lord desires a people who will chose Him for Himself alone, apart from anything that He might do for them in blessing and provision. "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich" Rev 3:18a.

There are many distracting influences that attempt to draw us away from a true, sincere devotion to the Lord. These forces will have power over us, but only if we allow them to do so. There must be within each one of us an active resistance to anything that will hinder our times of fellowship with the Lord.

The Lord will not over-ride our will. He will draw and guide us, but we are given the freedom to choose our level of response to Him in every area of our lives. We must abide continually in an attitude of choosing to respond to His wooing our hearts into this place of a "secret abode of intimacy with Him."

The "pulls" away from this secret place are many. There continually lurks in the shadows the desire for success, recognition and earthly security against what might happen. If allowed, all these things will step forward to obscure Jesus.

We easily forget His promise in John 16:33. "In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Here, Jesus is saying, "Do not fear, in Me you may have peace." He has promised to care for us, for He is our Shepherd. In Him, we partake of all that He has won, as we have need.

If we are not receiving His care and protection, we have either chosen the wrong dwelling place, or we have set our affection on something other than Him. When this happens, He patiently waits, ready to help us when we finally turn to Him. His "word" to us is that we find "the secret place" where He dwells and then make this our real home.

David erected a tent on Mount Zion for God to dwell in, but David's heart became the Lord's abode. The Lord promises to reward those who seek Him. This reward is God Himself. Nothing can compare to this eternal treasure.

In Romans 8, we are presented with exhortations, promises, and the marvelous word that "all things work together for good to them that love God" (to those who make Him their secret abode). Then comes the encouraging word, "If God be for us, who can be against us?"

We must put our trust completely in Him and seek this place of rest in His presence. As we do this, we will be eternally satisfied.