Walk in the Narrowsಮಾದರಿ

Shhh! Keep a secret

Let’s build a bit on the last study we did, and the routines of talking to God.

As I have travelled around a bit in the UK and wider, I have had the privilege to walk alongside a few men who have stood out from the rest, in their intimacy with the Holy Spirit, their impact for the kingdom of God, and their humility, but also in their spiritual wisdom and authority. They’re the sort of people you come across where you find yourself avoiding eye contact because they might see you all too clearly! Once you meet them, you quickly repent of all sins known and unknown because they seem to ‘hear’ from God, and you suddenly feel in the spotlight. Of the handful of men I am thinking of, when I asked each of them about the key to their faith and spiritual life, they all gave the same answer:

To maintain and keep a secret place with the Lord.

This is not a new thing. Let me show you some quotes from men and women who have had their opportunity and time to walk with this Lord in this life:

“The men who have done the most for God in this world have been early on their knees.” E.M. Bounds (1835–1913)

“Retire from the world each day to some private spot. Stay in the secret place till the surrounding noises begin to fade out of your heart and a sense of God’s presence envelopes you.” A.W. Tozer (1897–1963)

“Don’t pray when you feel like it. Have an appointment with the Lord and keep it.” Corrie ten Boom (1892–1983)

“No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying.” Leonard Ravenhill (1907–1994)

Okay, before we move on, let me show you one more thing, this time from the bible. We already looked at Mark 1:35, where Jesus seeks solitude and a secret place with his Father. Now I want to show you how Isaiah spoke of the same thing about Jesus, hundreds of years before, indicating that this would be an identifying characteristic of Jesus. Have a look at today’s bible passage from Isaiah:

"He awakens me morning by morning, wakens my ear to listen like one being instructed."

What better invitation do you need? Jesus knew that his father was calling him to the secret place to listen, be still and know his life. The same is true for us—cultivate and nurture that secret place, morning by morning, you are being invited there.