IN SECRET
MORNING DEVOTIONAL - by Jonathan Cassel
The God you worship in secret, is the God who will be with you in the open.
What are you doing in secret brothers and sisters?
This is the engine room of the believer.
The Word says our Lord repeatedly withdrew to desolate places to pray in secret. (Luke 5:16)
And
He rose early and went to a desolate place to pray. (Mark 1:35)
The NIV says He often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
Oh how the keys to a fruitful life have been given away in these verses.
A lot more focus in scripture is placed on the results of these lonely prayers, and the results are spectacular. However these verses remain as silent treasures for us to adore. He OFTEN withdrew to lonely places.
This is habitual retreat. This is revealing to us what the Man, Jesus, actually loved, and where He came from. Men of this world don't withdraw from it often, they embrace it.
But as for us brethren, we are on pilgrimage.
Blessed are those whose strength is in You,
whose hearts are set on pilgrimage. Psalms 84:5
“I came from the Father and have come into the world, and now I am leaving the world and going to the Father.” John 16:28.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to Myself, that where I am you may be also. John 14:2-3
It has been said that we make time for what we love…. A very revealing statement. And one that speaks of what we do in secret. Who are we giving ourselves away too when no one is looking? It would be a tragic waste of life to give ourselves away to anyone or anything, except Him who gave Himself away for us.
Brothers and sisters, God has made time for us.
The King of Glory has cleared His schedule for us.
David wrote “if i were to count the sum of Your thoughts for me, they would out number the sand on the seashore”
And He Himself said, the very hairs on your head are numbered.
He has time for us!
How precious are Your thoughts for me oh Lord!
In the stillness of the morning…..there You are! You arise before Me and wait!
In the closing of my busy day, there You are again Lord.
When i turn a page or close the book, there You are.
Your faithfulness to me is beyond measure.
I remember one night I went out into my garden when everyone else slept, and I poured my heart out in song to Him, singing “My beloved is, the most beautiful, among thousands and thousands”
And to my total amazement, He sang it back to me. I was so taken by it I wept.
He had been waiting to meet me there in secret to tell me that.
I have noticed that Jesus can still be found in these lonely desolate places. If you want to find Him, go where He is. And use His word to know Him.
So I encourage you today, offer up your time in secret to Him who is worthy of it.
Find the lonliest, most desolate hour of the day, and set your heart upon Him. For where there is nothing to gain in this world, there is much to give to Him. And He is faithful to go with You into your day. He will keep You, and lead You gently to the next secret place. From refreshing to refreshing. So that you do not get lost in the noise, but that you always see His face and bear much fruit.
PRAYER
Father, thank You for the desolate lonely places, and the ability to withdraw as Jesus did.
Thank You for a life blessed in secret.
We want to be like You, moment by moment. For You said “be perfect, as Your heavenly Father is perfect”.
In Jesus name, AMEN.
EVENING MEDITATION
Today beloved, mediate on the words of Jesus when He instructed His disciples on how to approach God. He said: But when you go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, And your Father who sees in secret will reward you".
Turn that scripture over an over in your heart. Ask Holy Spirit questions about it, make it personal, like, "do you really see me LORD"? Maybe you would like to sing those words to Him, or words similar to what Jonathan sang to the LORD in His secret place. I to had a moment like this. I was singing "Jesus, what a beautiful name", then I saw a vision of Jesus and I sitting around a camp fire. The fire was sparking, and we were sitting on rocks around it, Jesus had a stick and was drawing in the dirt, then He sang back to me, "Honni, what a beautiful name". I was overcome with tears, Jesus had just sung to me, but these words were especially special. My name is different, and I always felt a little self-conscious about this strange name I had been given. But not anymore, Jesus had sung to me and told me Himself, that He saw me, and He thought my name was beautiful.
So you also might like to choose a song, or even a scripture, and sing to Him. He loves you dear one. Oh how He loves you.