Pearls of Great Value

 

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalms‬ ‭91:1‬ ‭

What if we discovered the secret of the secret place? What if we discovered that the great and precious promises are hidden in the rest of God? What would it be like to know the heart of God? To have His knowledge, to know His wisdom, to hear His voice? It is possible.

Can we be a generation that hungers for the presence of God and thirsts after His Word? No longer satisfied with one hour on Sunday, but to treasure and carve out hours of each day to Him. Can we see that He abides not in a building, but in the hearts of man? Can you realize that where you are, He is also? We are the church and we carry Him to the world. We don’t need the world to come to Him, because we as His bride, can bring Jesus to the world!

How can we not see that we are glory carriers? That is so amazing and astounding! It should stir our hearts that somehow we carry the Holy within us. But have we have become numb to this? How is it that we are called a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a chosen generation, a peculiar people, and are numb about it? Isn’t this knowledge supposed to make us walk differently? It is. But. Knowing in your head is different from knowledge of the heart, and this heart knowledge comes only when we spend a whole lot of time talking to Jesus. The answers, my friend, are found in the secret place. Until we start treasuring the secret place we can’t and won’t comprehend, Christ in us the hope of Glory.

What is the secret place? It’s not a place per se, rather it’s a time of resting in Christ. And it’s only when we discover this secret of sitting in His presence, that we will be trusted with the intimate details of Gods heart. He waits for us every single day, patiently, to come to Him. To join hearts with Him in conversation. His desire will always be for your presence, your whole heart in undivided attention. Why? Because that is where you and I behold Him, and as we behold Him we become more and more as He is. We start to reflect Him as we walk out what He has whispered to us in private. He ignites holy fire in our soul and we can’t help but be a kindling flame of His love wherever we go. He touches us mind and soul, changing us so completely that we are transformed into His vision of us. Again, this can only happen as we give of ourselves to Him. He takes what we give Him and renews and restores it, giving it back to us completely redeemed.

Here’s one fact. We all spend a whole lot of time in the presence of those we love. We seek them out. We make time in our busy schedule to be with family and friends. We do this because those relationships are important to us. We love to love on those in our circle. The opposite is also true. We don’t carve out time for people who we aren’t in a relationship with. We don’t seek out the presence of the neighbor down the street as much as we would our family. There is a huge difference in how we treat and treasure our loved ones and how we treat strangers. Think about that for a minute. Now, think about your relationship with God. Where would you say He fits in? Do you treat Him as you would a stranger or is His presence one you seek out and hunger for? Do you treasure Him? Is He so precious to you that if He was lost to you, your heart would break? Can you say, I have spent hours and days getting to know Him, and the more I know Him the more I love Him? The more I want of Him? Can you honestly call God your best friend?

You see, all of this comes from spending a whole lot of time in His presence. In the secret place. His goodness is revealed to the heart that earnestly seeks to know Him. His love is manifested to us and in us as we worship Him. We encounter Him in those moments like in no other moments. When He sees how much we value His presence, He reveals Himself to our hearts. When we come to Him and seek after the things of His kingdom, we will find He is faithful to give to us that which we seek for. His Word promises, “He fulfills the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them.” Psa. 145:19 ESVi

I love the word dwell in Psalm 91:1: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. This word not only means, to stay and live in or inhabit, it also means, by extension, to marry; with a focus that the spouses live together. That is exactly how God wants us to be with Him. To remain in Him and He in you. He establishes Himself in you as you remain in Him. Or as you make your home in Him. This is how He is revealed! You want to encounter Him? Dwell in the secret place! I believe the number one reason we don’t see God at work in us and around us? Is because we are dwelling with strangers and are married to strangers. Who are the strangers? Anything and anyone that is foreign to God, for to be a stranger is to be estranged from Him. There is only one unity that will produce the fruit of the Spirit; it is called a marriage with Christ.

A more common word for dwell would be to hang out. I like that. Who are you hanging out with on a daily basis? One popular quote says, “You become like the people you hang around”. 1 Corinthians 15:33 reminds us that bad company corrupts good character. Likewise, good company will encourage and build good character. Jesus is good company. Time spent with Him will always be a good investment. It’ll enrich you beyond what you can imagine. Over time you’ll see that more and more you’ve become as the company you’ve kept “for it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill his good purpose.” (Philippians‬ ‭2:13‬ ‭NIV‬‬). Even better, you’ll see that there is less of the old you hanging around and more of the new heavenly man that He has made you into.

Discover the secret place! It’ll be the most rewarding time of your day. It will bless your coming and going. It will strengthen you in your weakness, encourage you to make sound choices, renew your energy. It will give you that extra boost and increase within you whatever is needed for every situation. He will give of Himself as you have given to Him; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over!

Abba Father, teach us to treasure moments with You. Create in us a hunger that isn’t satisfied until it feasts at Your table. Forgive us, Abba, for all the time we’ve wasted thus far, and restore to us the years that the storming locusts have eaten. Oh, that our eyes may see how precious You are! You have always been for us, and You fight for our hearts still. Precious Savior, Redeemer, and Friend, I pray that we would be enlightened to know You and the hope of Your calling! A pray for a colliding of Jesus and our hearts so that we will lay down all that entangles and ensnares us, and run this race! Holy Spirit, remind us and teach us how great the Fathers love for us, so that we will no longer waver in unbelief. Jesus, we thank you, for being the way, the truth, and the life. You are all of these, in us, in every moment. How we need you! We praise you, for You inhabit the praises of Your people! Hallelujah, forever, Amen!