February 1, 2012
Psalms – The Secret Place – Part 8
Thank you – Used with Permission from:
http://www.gailrodgers.ca/index.php/site/devotionalItem/133/
Power for Living Part 27 – The Secret Place by Gail Rodgers
It was a beautiful spot. Nestled along the edge of the river it was a little haven of quiet from her busy days. She would wonder down after supper and sit in the shadow of the trees, listening to the lapping of the water. Her secret place. Her spot to sort out the day’s happenings.
God has a secret place too. It also is in the shadow. A place to sort out the day’s happenings with His perspective and with His wisdom. It is the secret place of His presence:
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
God’s secret place is not hard to find. His promise is for rest there right under the shadow of God Himself. It is a place to cry your heart out, or sing your praises out; a place to ask the things you do not understand or to pray with weeping for needs He puts on your heart. It is a safe place. A place to release your spirit from the tight hold of controlled emotions; a place to let His calm envelope you and His strength fortify you. It is truly a place of rest. A place where, once you have found it, you want to return over and over. It is the well of spiritual refreshment for a thirsty heart.
How do you get there? How do you find this place of rest for your soul?
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust”. Psalm 91:2
You can only arrive at this place of refuge when you have put your trust in God. Oh, not only trust in His grace to save you, but trust in Him completely and absolutely. Trust in Him for the details of your life even when the pieces of the puzzle don’t seem to match up. My God in whom I trust! Personal, confident trust.
If you doubt God’s goodness toward you and believe He is somehow out to default you or simply doesn’t care about you, you will never find the secret place. The secret place can only be accessed through trust in a very personal God who shelters you under his wing and is your refuge from the storm.
If life has a stranglehold on your heart and you are hanging on for dear life, run to God with full trust in His loving ability to be your refuge. Find a quiet corner and get on your knees or go for a walk, sit in the tub, it matters not where you are physically, just find a place to release your spirit and allow God into not only the cares of your world but into the emotions of it as well. Sit in His presence, be sheltered, and fortified and leave with a peace that the world does not understand (John 14:27). Leave with a rested soul.
If you have not experienced the secret place of His presence, ask Him to help you find it today. Ask Him to help you find Him to be completely. My God, in whom I trust! Once you have been there you will find yourself wanting to dwell there!
Again, Thank You – Used with Permission from:
http://www.gailrodgers.ca/index.php/site/devotionalItem/133/
Taking into account the above written, let’s take a look at the word “siach” which in Strong’s Concordance (under #7878) shows:
- siach: to muse, complain, talk (of)
- Original Word: שִׂ֫יחַ
- Transliteration: siach
- Phonetic Spelling: (see’-akh)
- Short Definition: meditate
Also:
NASB Word Usage – complain (2), considered (1), meditate (7), meditates (1), muse (2), sigh (1), sing (1), speak (3), talk (2).
From: http://concordances.org/hebrew/7878.htm
As we read – to rest in that “secret place” – “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1
What do we do in that secret place? We can talk to our Father, to our Lord, and meditate on his Word, his promises, as we are sheltered in his presence. That’s where the word “Siach” (meditation) enters into our conversation here. Psalms 119:97 reads: “O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day.”
That secret place is between two, that meditation is between two, an exclusive relationship between two. It is a conversation where the focus and concentration is hearing and being heard. It is a conversation about our daily life, and our littlest and greatest dreams. It is listening to the plans God has for us. Now heart-to-heart conversations take time, they cannot be hurried, or done on the run.
It definitely has to be a set apart time. Jesus set himself apart while seeking God in prayer. He prayed early in the morning, and all through the night. He went up to the mountain, he went to the desert, and he went to the garden. He prayed while ministering to others and for others. He prayed for miracles and for decisions.
Let’s take a look at:
Mark 1:35 – (KJV) “And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.”
Luke 5:16 – (NASB) “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” (The NIV says “lonely places”).
Looking back at the word “siach” which is to “meditate” as already mentioned in Psalms 119:97 reads: “O how I love thy Law it is my meditation all the day”, rather than “emptying” our heads and ourselves and chanting to attain a oneness with mind, body and soul, it takes a focus and reflection on the Word of God, the person of God, and filling yourself, as opposed to emptying yourself, filling yourself with remembrances of God’s goodness and lovingkindness toward you. You dwell in that fullness until you hear from God or that which you set out to pray about or talk to God about is “settled” in your soul, and the Holy Spirit has led us to search our hearts and work on the areas that are needed. Our meditation must lead to action, for we must be a “hearer” and a “doer.”
Let’s seek to dwell often in the “Secret Place” with an undivided heart.
Captivate Us from bowmangirl22
In the Secret (by Andy Park) from suzysunshineobx
You are my Hiding Place from wcaravan
