The Secret Place, Part 4

By Amy Stoehr
Good morning. Remember how much you are loved by our Lord today! Psalm 31:4 says that we are to be of good courage! He will strengthen us as we put our hope in Him. This “lifewords” series focuses on the “secret place” of prayer Jesus speaks of in Matthew 6:6 “But you, 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.” Jesus spent much time in prayer with the Father. He continues to pray for us in heaven even now! Isn’t it wonderful that you can pray to your Father, ask of Him and expect to receive according to His wisdom and His Word? We can begin our days in the secret place of prayer and continue throughout the day.

Ephesians 5:15 says that we are to walk “circumspectly, not as fools but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Therefore do not be unwise, but understand what the will of the Lord is.” We know for sure from Matthew 6:6 that God’s will for us is to pray in the “secret place”. His will, His instructions, His charge to us is to pray in secret. He will reward us. In the secret place, the Holy Spirit will teach you how to pray. He will give you a clear understanding of His will. As you meet with Him you will discover His presence, be transformed by His love, receive strength and joy, and He will show you how to pray according to His will. You will continue to decrease and His presence will increase in your life. The love of God will fuel your praying and your faith will soar as you become excellent in praying according to God’s Word. On top of that, He will reward you openly!

This “secret place” life is available to every believer. We get to choose. I believe we can have as much of God’s presence and will in our lives as we want, to the degree we will spend time with Him in secret!

The Secret Place, Part 3

By Amy Stoehr
Good morning! You are so loved by God. As you spend time in His Word, He will speak to you concerning His love for you, His plan for your life and the reality of His presence. The Holy Spirit is in you to teach you, guide you and help you this day! This is the day the Lord has made, let’s rejoice and be glad in it!

Can you sense the Lord drawing you to spend time with Him in the secret place? I love the Words of our Lord to His disciples. “But when you pray, go into your inner room and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father Who is in secret, and the Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you openly.” Matthew 6:6. If you look up the verse today you will see that He proceeds to give them a pattern of how to pray in what we refer to as the Lord’s Prayer. He instructs them in fasting, giving, money, the cares of this world, God’s provision and His kingdom. It a great chapter to read today and I encourage you to meditate on it. Can you imagine that the Lord, the Creator of the universe, our Father of love, our Redeemer, wants to meet with us in secret. And knowing our need, He calls us to pray and ask and seek and promises to respond to our cry!

We can pray like David in Psalm 61. “Hear my cry. O God; Give heed to my prayer, From the ends of the earth I call to You, when my heart is faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you are my Refuge, A tower of strength against the enemy, Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” Sometimes we feel far from the Lord, as far as to the end of the earth! Our heart grows faint and we feel so overwhelmed, so inadequate. But it is at this time that He leads us to Himself, to the secret place where we can take refuge in Him. He beckons us to come spend time in the private place and cry to Him, call to Him for help and pray. Make time to spend with the Lover of your soul in the secret place of His presence as you begin your day. Then you can continue to abide in Him, in continual fellowship and prayer throughout your day. Draw near, and He will draw near. He is our Refuge and our Dwelling Place. He will teach us how to pray in the secret place of His presence.

Thank you Lord! We love You, and we worship You!

The Secret Place, Part 2

By Amy Stoehr
Good morning! You are loved and highly favored by the Lord today, because you belong to Him and He lives in you. Wow!

I’m so excited about Matthew 6:6. Jesus instructs all who will hear today, “When you pray, go into your room and close the door and pray to your Father Who is in secret. And the Father, Who sees in secret, will reward you openly.” We have access to that secret place because of the blood of Jesus – there is now no separation between us and God.

Throughout the gospels we see Jesus often departing to a secret place, a solitary place to meet with the Father and pray. If we are to live as He lived on this earth, we must follow His example of meeting with the Father in secret.

As we come into our “secret place” with the Lord, we can be sure that He is near to all who call upon Him. As we draw near to Him, He draws near to us.

Real prayer is calling upon God – He is our Father. In the “secret place” we will discover Him as our Refuge and Strength, a very present Help in time of need. We will know Him as we pray.

Psalm 9:9-10 says, “those who know you will put their trust in You. For you oh Lord have not forsaken those who seek You.”

As we seek Him in the secret place we will find Him. As we yield to His Word, we will be transformed. We may come into the secret place weighed down by sin, but we can receive forgiveness, cleansing and freedom! In the Secret Place an amazing exchange occurs: our weakness, swallowed by His strength. Our anxiety and fear exchanged for His joy.

Don’t be anxious about anything, pray about everything, with much thanksgiving!

As we renew our minds to the truth of His Word, our perspective becomes clear instead of foggy. In His presence is fullness of joy. As we wait upon Him, He is our All in All, the All Sufficient One who loves us with an everlasting love. In the secret place the Holy Spirit will direct us how to pray for our family, our loved ones, our church, our city, our nation and the precious people of the nations of the world. He is our personal Teacher in prayer. Prayer is the pipeline that brings God’s will to this earth, and in the secret place He will teach us to pray His very will into existence.

All the angels are on alert waiting for the prayers of the saints so that the Father can give them their assignments to fulfill His purposes. You can be sure He is attentive to your cry, He hears when you call. Matthew 6:6 How awesome!

The Secret Place, Part 1

By Amy Stoehr
Father, thank you for Your love and presence in our lives. Thank you for Your redeeming blood that forgives and washes us now. Thank You for Your Word! Jesus we love You. Teach us to abide in You, know You, and recognize Your leading. Open our understanding to the times we are in, live in us and through us to bring your love to those around us. Holy Spirit, we honor You and welcome You. In Jesus Name.

Prayer in the “Secret Place” is the key to our life in Christ. Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “When you pray, Go into your room (closet, private place) and close the door and pray to your Father Who is in secret. And Your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”

Meditate on it, think about it, ask the Lord to reveal Truth that you will live out as you obey this Word! Can you sense the Father drawing you to meet with Him in this secret place before your day begins, or during your day, or before you go to bed? In the secret place of His presence is where we will have relationship with Him. Be sure to have your Bible, because prayer has two components:

• It is listening to God by reading His Word with an open heart. Sometimes it is just being still in His presence, waiting upon Him, loving Him, worshiping Him, receiving from Him, BEING with Him!
  
• The other side of prayer is our speaking. If you will spend more time listening, yielding and receiving than speaking, then the words that you do pray will be powerful and led by the Holy Spirit.

In the “Secret Place” we will find Him. In the Secret Place we will know Him as our All in All. There is no limit to how closely we can know Him, abide in Him, and be completely free in His love, yielded to his leading. Can you imagine that the Lord delights to meet with you in secret? Wow! If that wasn’t enough, He will also reward you openly. This truth makes me laugh with joy!