In the Old Testament, the “Secret place” comes from the Hebrew root word “Cether”, which means to hide/be concealed.
And really, no matter is hidden or concealed in a place or thing if it wasn’t the fragment of their make up.
What then is the secret place?
Psalm 139:15(NIV) – my frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place.
The Secret place is the state and precise location where men are made.
- to be concealed means to prevent from being seen or discovered
- to be hidden means to hold back to keep from being perceived by others.
As much as these meanings look like a defense: it's much more a process than a battle or war terminology. Let’s avoid some war or enmity ideology here. The Secret place is where men are made.
You make yourself available, and you are made usable!
-the fact that anything is spiritual doesn’t mean it cannot be explained.
Thus, the Secret place is:
1. A state of a soul in its relationship with God
2. A physical location.
1. THE LOCATION DIMENSION:
Psalm 27:5(NAS) – For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His [a]tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
The first dimension of the secret place as a physical location we will discuss later on. For now I share with you the second dimension of the secret place as a state.
The Psalmist referred to the secret place and he was not referring to an actual tabernacle or tent in which he will hide him from physical enemies.
He is speaking of the state of peace God gives in the midst of trials and attacks. He said God conceals me in His tabernacle; and the psalmist further exposed this tabernacle as the secret place of God's tent. There is a state of relationship with God that can be felt only in this state and it is directly linked to the secret place of His tent(Abode).
2. THE SECRET PLACE AS A LOCATION: Psalm 91:1 – He that dwelleeth in the secret place of the most high......
This describes the secret place as a physical location. And as much as we are interested in knowing more about this location we must discover there are open truths we have refused to see.
A. He that dwelleth (dwells):
To dwell means to live, inhabit: spend most of one’s life in.
Accepting there is a physical location dimension to the secret place, we also need to accept there is a prerequisite to the secret place – dwelling not visiting.
A lot of young Christians in this dispensation are aware of the secret place, but I am sure a lot of them do not know the protocol to the secret place . A lot of young Christians visit the secret place!
How do I know?
- They mostly go there to blast in Capital letter tongues(as fondly called); they go there to just talk at him – a visit!
- They have affixed a time and time frame for their supposedly called secret place. In the midnight for at least three hours.
You see that?
These activities in themselves are not wrong only that it is now your secret place because you define the terms and conditions.
The scripture made us understand it’s a dwelling place – where we spend most of our life.
The Secret place is a place of secretive affairs between two people. IT IS A ROMANTIC AFFAIR. It’s a marriage and we are the bride. If this is true; then we will need to Submit - to dwell!
B. The Secret place of the most high:
Then this means there can be a secret place of some other persons/spirits other than God! Even cult groups meet in ‘a’ secret place. This is another error committed randomly. Most times, what this age calls the secret place is truly the secret place but of themselves and not of the most high.
An average Christian goes to this physical assigned location with an intention in his heart. -to go seek for power, to go get deeper in the weight of His presence etc.
All these by themselves are good other than at the Secret place of the most High, things must be done at His terms and Conditions.
Another error to look out for is to see the secret place as a location for a particular action.
Truly, at the Secret place we break bread with him(word), we engage him in sincere worship and praise as He responds back, and Prayers basically.
Still, it is the secret place of the most high..... Then He will do it his way because our levels of dealings aren’t the same.
C. The Secret Place: where men see Gods glory!
Exodus 33:20 – And he said, Thou canst see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live.
21 – And the Lord said, Behold, there is a ‘place by me’.....
Take note of God word: a place by me.
Can you remember where we are coming from right?
The Secret place of the most high – His place. And if it is His place, it has to be His way.
We talked extensively about this in the first part of this series. See it here.
When Moses wanted to see the glory of God, the Lord explained that no man could see God and live (Exodus 33:20).
So God revealed to Moses that there’s a place by him – the place David later described as the secret place of the most high(Psalm 91:1). So God allowed Moses to see His glory only from a secret place.
Young Christian be careful with the motive of visiting the secret place.
At the Secret place you add God’s glory NOT God!
Be careful of your lusts for encounters!
Verse 23 says further: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shall see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen.
This looks complicated here till the Holy Spirit expressly explained this in the early of the mornings to me too. It took Moses dwelling in the secret place to:
- Be put in a cleft in the rock
- Be covered in His hands
- Wait till He passes by
- Watch Him take away His hand
- And see His back parts!
I know a Christian of this age will say the encounter isn’t solid.
He only saw God’s back!
While some will make sure they do not say I saw God’s back but say; I saw God’s glory!
It takes a genuine heart (a lover) to dwell in the secret place.
What is with His back part?
I think a little of it was revealed to us in Ephesians 6.
The whole armour of God: everything is available to protect the parts of our body save our backs because at the Secret place you should have seen His back parts. The Secret place!
No one sees his face and live!
But in Exodus 33:11 – And the Lord spake Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto his friend.
Face-to-face
here was used to describe the depth of communication between Moses and
God.Abraham was God’s friends and in the similitude of His communications with Abraham, He spoke unto Moses.
Moses never saw God!
The Secret place is a place of dealings where we see God’s glory, not God!
The Secret place is a place of encounters, and an encounter is not equal to a call.
The
Secret place doesn’t make you into a Man of God, it makes you a Man in
God.
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