Finding The Secret Place

Would you believe me if I gave you a key and said, “This key unlocks a place, hidden from the rest of the world—an oasis where you could sit and converse with the actual God of the universe.” Would you take the key? Would you think I was bananas?

We learn from reading scriptures like Psalm 91, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” that a “secret place” does in fact exist.

The secret place is where we spend time with The Lord. We feel Him, see Him, and hear Him there. It is where the Holy Spirit reveals hidden wisdom, insight, and new revelation. It is where we receive guidance. It is where I write these words to you from.

In the book of Exodus, The Lord called Moses to meet with Him at the top of Mt. Sinai. For six days, Moses dwelled in a dark cloud that took him to meet God on top of the mountain.

The scriptures say that once Moses arrived on the mountain, he spent forty days and forty nights alone with God. And Moses wasn’t just sitting on top of a mountain talking to the sky.

Exodus 24:10 says, “There they saw the God of Israel. Under his feet there seems to be a surface of brilliant blue lapis lazuli (sapphires), as clear as the sky itself. And though the nobles gazed upon God, he did not destroy them.” Then in verse 16, “The glory of the Lord settled down on Mount Sinai, and the lord called Moses from inside the cloud. To the Israelites at the foot of the mountain, the glory of the lord appeared at the summit like a consuming fire.”

Can you imagine spending over a month with God, face to face? I can’t imagine the things Moses must have seen.

What’s interesting about this passage, is that the cloud completely surrounded Moses to the point where no one else could see him. As he was enveloped in the cloud and taken up, the rest of the Israelites watched from bottom of the mountain. Moses was untouchable and hidden in the presence of God. And this presence took him exactly where he needed to go—the top of the mountain where he met God face-to-face and received direction for His people.

Likewise, when we enter into the secret place, we are so surrounded by the presence and glory of The Lord, we are hidden from the world. We experience a one-on-one, personal encounter with God like Moses did. There, He reveals His nature to us and gives us new direction the same way He did with the Israelites.

Now that we know there is a secret place, the question then becomes: How do we get there?

The Greek word often used in the bible for “mystery” has a lexical range that also includes the word “secret”. In scripture, this word is not used to explicate some kind of esoteric knowledge only known by insiders, but rather some wondrous, unlooked for truth that God is revealing through His Spirit (Keller, The Meaning of Marriage).

Did you catch that?

The secret place isn’t an exclusive place you need an invitation to get into. It is unlooked for truth. It is revelation only through the Holy Spirit. Which means all we must do, is draw near to The Holy Spirit by inviting Him into our space and into our hearts.

A practical way to do this, is to carve out time to spend with God daily. Personally, I like to do this as soon as I wake up, before anyone or anything else gets my attention. And while it’s highly unlikely you will be taken up in a dark cloud, you can read your bible and throw on some worship tunes and journal. Or take a walk while you pray and talk to God. The point is—you are actively seeking out The Lord, welcoming The Holy Spirit into your heart, and being open to receive whatever He wants to reveal to you.

When you begin to consistently spend time with God, you will begin to recognize His voice. The question I get asked all. the. time. is, “How do you hear God?”

I don’t read my bible for ten hours or pray on my face all night. I am not some chosen guru prophetess that has superior spiritual powers. I just spend time with Jesus on the daily. I go to the secret place often. I talk to Him and He answers, just like any other relationship. And honestly, my day feels off if I don’t have some kind of dialogue or exchange with Holy Spirit.

Just reading this blog, or listening to a sermon, or going to church isn’t going to get you to the mountain top. God can use all of those things to speak to you, but only the Holy Spirit himself can take you into that secret, shrouded place of intimacy.  While it is important to learn about God, it is even more vital to actively spend time with Him. That’s where you’ll learn the most about Him anyways!