The Secret Place: Going Public

Jehovah-Sneaky.
Always one (or more) steps ahead of us – knowing how to lure us forward into Him. After all, He is the journey as well as the destination, is He not?

Picture a closet full of all the goodies you might ever desire. As you open the door they explode down on you, and you are overwhelmed with fullness. All you ever desired, and more, had earlier been crammed into that closet, waiting for the moment for you to turn the knob. God’s goodness explodes onto you.

Ps 31
19        Oh, how great is Your goodness, which You have laid up for those who fear You, which You have prepared for those who trust in You in the presence of the sons of men!

Oh how great – immeasurably great – beyond that which we could ask or think. And who are the lucky ones? Ans: There are no “lucky” ones. The ones accessing the closet are qualified by two characteristics:

• They understand and embrace the holy and righteous fear of God – (fortunately, prophetically promised to us a mere three psalms later (Ps 34:11); AND
• They trust in the Lord in the presence of the sons of man.

Glorious revelation, indeed.

The teaching of the Fear of the Lord, the very beginning of all wisdom, is actually accomplished by revelation as we progressively dig into our great God, in His word and by His Spirit. It requires an unlearning of the fears of this life, and a new learning of holy fear (meanwhile Ps 36:1 reveals that having no fear of the Lord is a gateway to wickedness).

The Trusting – the ongoing and functional public (as well as private, of course) living out of the Spirit-led Christian life is something we accomplish by grace, and by good choice.

Going public with our faith-walk is the testimony of Jesus in front of both (a.) the brethren (1 Cor 11:1 – Paul did it) and (b.) the lost and dying world, among whom we are charged to shine as lights in the world (Phil 2:15).

Go public, willingly potentially paying the small dung price, and you will find yourself in the treasure closet of God’s goodness.

And in that PUBLIC place, you are ushered into a special SECRET place, in the Spirit.

Further in Psalm 30:
20        You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence from the plots of man; you shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.

Wow wow wow. Only God could/would orchestrate that invitation to die (to self) so that you might live (to Him). Go public and find something very private, offered to all, but discovered by few.

David then tells us how tweaked he had been – to the point of “I’m toast!”, freaking out, in a tough spot/city – and then by grace he chooses to cry out, and the Faithful One came through:

21        Blessed be the LORD, for He has shown me His marvelous kindness in a strong city!
22        For I said in my haste, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications when I cried out to You.
23        Oh, love the LORD, all you His saints! For the LORD preserves the faithful, and fully repays the proud person.
24        Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all you who hope in the LORD.

Yea God!

Scriptures NKJV