Aug 23
Today's Reading: My Utmost for His Highest
Matthew 6:6
"When you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly"
The Secret Place
Do you have a "secret place" where you meet God? Behind closed doors? Jesus said to go to your room, shut the door, and pray to the Father in secret...
I have to confess, I do not have a secret place. If I shut the door someone is going to open it or knock on it and want to come in... but if I leave my door open one assumes there is nothing to see so they just move right along and leave me in peace. But once I shut that door...
So, I just maintain my secret place inside of me. Or I find a time when everyone else is asleep.
Chambers says that most of the time our biggest challenge is our wandering thoughts. Once you close that door and although you know why you are there your thoughts start to scatter in all different directions except the one you need.
So, we must learn to discipline our minds and concentrate on prayer in a deliberate manner. Perhaps keeping a prayer journal will help us in maintaining a bit of discipline. Maybe we could jot down our prayer thoughts as they come to us at other times of our days and nights. We could take out our notes and use them to rein ourselves into a proper prayer mode once we close that door. Whatever method we use, we should remember, He is never early nor late.
Having a secret stillness in God's presence means shutting the door on our emotions and making sure we get our minds only on Him. We must remember—think about Him.
God is in His secret place and He does not look upon us as others do or even as we look upon ourselves. Chambers says that when we truly live in the "secret place" it becomes impossible to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else.
When we abide with God we discover that He is in the very middle of our lives. In the everyday circumstances all of the time. We have to let God in. . . completely. Just open the door of your life as wide as possible to Him. Let Him in beginning first thing every morning. If you do not you will probably end up on the wrong level with Him throughout the day.
And this is where the real battle lies — not in finding a room or in shutting a door, and not in choosing a time, but in choosing Him. Choosing to turn your mind toward God when everything inside you wants to drift. Choosing to stay when your thoughts want to scatter.
The “secret place” is not about perfection.
It is about returning.
Always returning your thoughts, focus, heart, and attention back to God.
Every time your mind wanders and you bring it back — that is prayer. Even so when your emotions rise and you quiet them — that is prayer. And every time you choose Him over distraction... that is prayer.
This is the discipline Chambers is talking about: the deliberate turning of the heart toward God.
And when we do this—and it does not have to be done perfectly—something begins to change inside us. We become more aware of Him, more confident in Him, more anchored in Him. And even more certain of His presence in the middle of our ordinary days.
The “secret place” becomes not just a moment, or a place, or a time... but a way of living.
It becomes the quiet awareness that He is everywhere you are.
You create a habit of letting Him in — not just in your spiritual space, but let Him be involved in the small things, the hidden things, the daily things—in everything.
When you let Him into your everyday personal space and travels, your public life will have a mark on it from Him. This will not be in an obvious way but a quiet way. It will be done with peace, steadiness, intention, strength. . . and it will show a clear imprint of His presence.
This is the reward Jesus spoke of — the open evidence of a life lived with God behind closed doors.
So today, find your secret place — shut the door on everything else, even if only for a few minutes... and meet with Him there. And you are gonna find that He is right on time and waiting for you.
Breath Prayer
Father, draw me into the secret place…
and quiet my mind so I can hear You.
Selah,
~ Quil
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Supporting Scripture
Matthew 6:6 "When you pray..." the anchor verse
Returning to Him
Isaiah 30:15
“In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and trust shall be your strength.”
Dwelling in the Secret Place
Psalm 91:1
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
Seeking Him in the quiet
Psalm 27:8
“When You said, ‘Seek My face,’ my heart said to You, ‘Your face, Lord, I will seek.’”
God meeting you in stillness
Psalm 46:10
“Be still, and know that I am God.”
Coming to Him with your whole heart
Jeremiah 29:13
“You will seek Me and find Me when you search for Me with all your heart.”
God seeing what is done in secret
Matthew 6:4
“…your Father who sees in secret will Himself reward you openly.”
God being your hiding place
Psalm 32:7
“You are my hiding place; You will protect me from trouble.”
Coming boldly to Him
Hebrews 4:16
“Let us come boldly to the throne of grace…”
Resting in Him
Psalm 62:1
“My soul finds rest in God alone.”
The Lord being near to you
Psalm 145:18
“The Lord is near to all who call on Him…”
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