In the type of job I have, I get to meet a lot of people. And this past week, there was a real spectrum of people that I shuttled around. I was assigned an airport shuttle trip, and it was from The Chautauqua Institution. Some of you may have heard of it, it was in the news recently. Salman Rushdie, an Indian-born man famous for having written a novel about Islam called, The Satanic Letters, was speaking there and was attacked on stage and is in critical condition.
So this past week, I was assigned to pick up a couple of people there, and as you can guess, it’s a pretty fancy place. It’s a gated summer community along Chautauqua Lake, and it looks like Martha’s Vineyards.
And the people I picked up were two women who were of middle-eastern descent. And I don’t know this, but by the way they were talking may have had something to do with the international affairs of the incident. I looked up the woman’s name later, and she is a United Nations ambassador from Fiji. Now, I don’t know if she has anything to do with Rushdie’s incident, but she and her companion were talking about a tribunal and finding a diplomat, and they met with a prosecutor, and they were going to get ahold of other secretaries of state and the whole shebang.
So it could have been regarding something else, but what else, I don’t know.
Then, the next two days, I took a mother and daughter to a drug clinic in the middle of Buffalo’s inner city for opioid treatment. And the place where I took them looked just like you would see on TV. Empty buildings bordered up, vacant lots, trash all around, cracked pavement, and shady people all around. Needless to say, there was an Elim church in the middle of it. Hopefully, they’re doing a good work there.
But not only was the setting completely different, but the two ladies were the complete opposite. The first two were the smartest and most intellectual people I’ve ever heard in my life, while the other two…well, were not. Their lifestyles were completely opposite, too. And I won’t go into the things the mother and daughter talked about––they really talked about the sad life of other people they knew, and I couldn’t help but feel sorry for the life they chose to live. It’s as if they just don’t know any better than to live a horrible life and be around bad influences.
So what does this have to do with my sermon today?
Well, with both of them, I didn’t talk, I just listened. Both pairs were talking to each other. And after the second pair got dropped back off home, I felt like I needed a shower to wash the filth and dirt off of me. Not that they were physically dirty, but the kind of life they lived and the words that came out of their mouths were just awful. Not to mention the neighborhood in Buffalo. Thank goodness I wasn’t there for long.
But my sermon today has to do with the presence we are in. Not in a physical sense but in a spiritual sense. The spiritual presence we are in can make a world of difference.
Instead of taking an actual shower, I had in my van a worship CD, and I put that in. And that made a huge difference in the atmosphere in me and around me.
If you have your Bibles, you can turn with me to Psalms 27, 31, and 91. We won’t be reading the entire chapters, but a few short verses from each. And if these verses sound familiar, we looked at them about a year and a half ago. I just felt as if the Lord wanted me to go back to these again. It’s always good to be reminded of God’s promise to us that no matter where we are, there He is.
Scripture: So, let’s go to our first set of verses.
Psalm 27: 4-6. And like last week, I’ll be reading from the New King James Version.
4 One thing I have desired of the Lord, That I will seek: That I may dwell in the house of the Lord All the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, And to inquire in His temple.
5 For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; In the secret place of His Tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock.
6 And now my head shall be lifted up above my enemies all around me; Therefore I will offer sacrifices of joy in His tabernacle; I will sing, yes, I will sing praises to the Lord.
And now, if you turn over to Psalm 31, we’ll read verses 19-21
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!
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.
And our last set of verses: Psalm 91, verses 1 and 2
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Okay, you may have noticed a commonality in those verses, a particular phrase: Secret Place.
David was someone who endured a lot of strife. He endured being chased and hunted down. He was a warrior king, and the Psalms are full of David’s pleas to the Lord for protection and peace. Here, we get a glimpse of David’s understanding of how he found God’s peace. David was brought into God’s “Secret Place,” and he rested there and communed with God in God’s peace.
The world in which we live is full of turmoil. And maybe the turmoil that we see on the news and the rift in our society and political system––which I think is coming to The Church––may be affecting our relationships. I know there are some relationships that have been strained because of all of this, and I’ve had to be extremely careful what I post on social media sites because even something that I thought was innocent has sparked a line of debate.
Speaking of social media, I was trying to explain The Holy Spirit to someone. And I’m not sure if this person is a believer or not, but he said, The Holy Spirit just sounds a lot like feelings to an unbeliever. He’s looking for facts, not feelings. And that’s a whole other topic, but I sense an alignment in my spirit with The Holy Spirit. And when I put in that worship CD, the atmosphere changed because worship is a gateway into God’s secret place.
And that place is a secret place that the world cannot find. It is not a place made by hands, it is not a physical sanctuary––though God does dwell in our physical sanctuary. But when we seek God’s Holy and Secret Place––His spiritual sanctuary––there we will find refreshment and renewal and a place of safety, and what we have to look forward to eternally that cannot be found anywhere on Earth.
So, let’s go back to our first set of verses in Psalm 27. You’ll notice there that David is talking primarily about a physical place. He uses the words ‘house,’ ‘temple,’ ‘pavilion (which means shelter),’ and ‘tabernacle.’
In David’s time, God’s presence was mainly in a tabernacle. It was David’s son Solomon who built a grand Temple for the Lord. Prior to that, the place where people worshiped was a tent called a Tabernacle. This is where they also sacrificed. And in the tabernacle, as well as in the Temple, there was a place called The Holy of Holies. And I mentioned this before, that’s where the Ark of the Covenant was placed. And it was so holy that it was hidden behind a veil. And behind that veil and on that ark was the dwelling place of the Lord.
But in Ezekiel 11:16, God said to the prophet, “Although I sent them far away among the nations and scattered them among the countries, yet for a little while I have been a sanctuary for them in the countries where they have gone.”
God himself was a sanctuary for His people. The people had been scattered from Israel throughout the Babylonian Empire and, therefore, away from their Temple in Jerusalem. But God was still with his people. He made himself available to them even though they did not have a physical temple or tabernacle.
God was their shelter. And how was that? Because God would lead his people into the secret place, into the place of His holiness and glory. It did not have to be in a physical dwelling.
Isaiah begins the last chapter of his book with:
1 This is what the Lord says: “Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool. Where is the house you will build for me? Where will my resting place be?
2 Has not my hand made all these things, and so they came into being?” declares the Lord. “These are the ones I look on with favor: those who are humble and contrite in spirit, and who tremble at my word.”
Paul said to the Corinthian church that we are the Temple of God. When Jesus died, God miraculously tore the veil that separated man from God’s presence. Why? Because we are now the temple of the Holy Spirit, the veil between God and man has been torn. We don’t need that veil anymore. We are the ark of the covenant. God dwells within our spirits. Jesus said we have the ability to be at one with God.
Remember Jesus’ prayer in The Garden? In John 17, Jesus prayed:
21 that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I in You; that they also may be one in Us, that the world may believe that You sent Me. 22 And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one: 23 I in them, and You in Me; that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may know that You have sent Me, and have loved them as You have loved Me.”
So we can be at one with God because we are His temple.
When we look again at our second set of verses, it agrees with what God said to Ezekiel, that God’s presence was with his people even then, even if The Holy Spirit did not particularly dwell within them the same way that He does with us now.
I said that David lived a life of strife. He was a warrior king. When he wrote this psalm, King David was going through a particular coup at this time. His own son was trying to take his throne. Over many months, his son Absalom led a subversive campaign against his father, and even David’s wisest counselor deserted him and followed Absalom.
Yet what does David say?
In Psalm 31:19-20, David said, “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! You shall hide them in the secret place of Your presence, from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion [shelter] From the strife of tongues.”
In verse 20, the phrase “the secret place of your presence” can also be translated from the Hebrew as “the secret of your face.” Remember when Moses wanted to see God’s face? He couldn’t. God said, “no man can see my face and live.” But the idea is that we can sense God in such an intimate way that it feels as if we are that close to Him. We can almost sense the smile on his face.
Alexander Maclaren said, “The psalmist has just prayed that God would make His face to shine upon him; and now he rejoices in the assurance of the answer, and knows himself and all like-minded men to be hidden in that “glorious privacy of light,” where evil things cannot live.”
Do you remember the priestly blessing in the Book of Numbers? (Num. 6:24-26)
The Lord tells Moses to instruct Aaron and the priesthood on how to pray a blessing for the children of Israel:
24 “The Lord bless you and keep you;
25 The Lord make His face shine upon you,
And be gracious to you;
26 The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.” ’
It’s that kind of blessing that we have, it’s that kind of experience we have being in the presence of God’s secret place. His face shines upon us. God said he wishes to lift up his countenance to us. What does that mean? Countenance is another word for face or, more specifically, facial expression. It is the expression appearing on the face of the Lord as He looks upon His people. It can also be interpreted as his favor, kindness, and goodwill. So, in other words, “may his face exude favor, approval, love, and kindness towards us.”
This is what we experience being in God’s secret place. We get to be that intimate with God. Even though we cannot see him, we can experience the countenance of God and the expression on his face. Even though we cannot truly see it, we can feel it in our spirits.
If we go back to the beginning of Psalm 91, we read:
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
So here, the Psalmist begins with “he who dwells.” In other words, he who stays or remains. Literally, “sitting in the secret place.” The idea is that of calm repose, of resting, of sitting down. How many of you have tried praying or worshiping and get distracted easily? I do. It’s hard to worship while you’re driving. It’s hard to pray in front of a computer screen. You’ve heard of a prayer closet? I think that’s why God wants us to literally pray in a closet.
God calls us to dwell with him. To sit with him. To make time to be with him in his presence. Do you remember the story of Mary and Martha?
In Luke 10, we read:
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed—or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”
Even when we are busy serving The Lord, as Martha was literally doing, it is better to stop and dwell with the Lord. It is better to sit at his feet. It is better to abide with Him. We can get so busy doing things that we should be doing that we forget our priority is to be with God.
Even when it comes to doing God’s work, we still have to make spending time with Him a priority. Remember what Jesus said to his disciples?
In Matthew, Mark, and John, Jesus said, “7 The poor you will always have with you,[a] and you can help them any time you want. But you will not always have me.”
Stop for a moment and think about that verse in this context:
In John 15, Jesus said, “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.”
Sometimes we need to stop and refocus. Sometimes we get so busy, we get exhausted, and we just need that refreshment from the Lord. We may be doing God’s will yet still be depleted of Him.
Verse 2 says that the Lord is our refuge and fortress. Refuge is another reference to God being our sanctuary. The Secret Place is a spiritual sanctuary in which God brings us into. He brings us into a spiritual fortress and shelters us there.
When I hear this, I often think of a lighthouse in a storm. You’ve seen those pictures, haven’t you? I’ve seen a few taken from the Great Lakes. That’s amazing enough, but I’m sure you’ve seen some photos taken of a lighthouse at the ocean. I can’t help but wonder what it would be like to be in a lighthouse during a storm.
The waves crashing against you, hearing the roar. Maybe it’s at night, and you can’t see anything, only the sound of the crashing waves and wind against the fortress. Yet, you’re completely safe inside. Not a drop. It must be an amazing experience.
Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the LORD is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
That’s what it’s like to be in God’s secret place. Safe as the storms roll around you, crashing around you. You have to put a lot of trust into the structure of that lighthouse, though. And the psalmist here puts his trust wholeheartedly in God.
“I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.””
When we are in his secret place, we are tightly wrapped up in the strong and mighty arms of God. We are hidden in a strong, safe tower.
When we are abiding or staying in his secret place, we are staying in his safety. We are staying in his comfort. We are hidden in his presence.
That must be what the Elim church in the middle of the Buffalo inner city feels like.
I, personally, sense darkness surrounding our world like never before. When I see the news, I just sense darkness.
Whatever turmoil happens in this world, and even in The Church, there is always a safe haven. There is always a sanctuary. There is always a Secret Place. I mentioned the ‘prayer closet’ earlier. This is what Jesus said, “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” (Matt. 6:6).
This is a rather lengthy quote. It’s from Oswald Chambers, in his devotional, My Utmost for His Highest, said, “When we truly live in “the secret place,” it becomes impossible for us to doubt God. We become more sure of Him than of anyone or anything else. Enter into “the secret place,” and you will find that God was right in the middle of your everyday circumstances all the time. Get into the habit of dealing with God about everything. Unless you learn to open the door of your life completely and let God in from your first waking moment of each new day, you will be working on the wrong level throughout the day. But if you will swing the door of your life fully open and “pray to your Father who is in the secret place,” every public thing in your life will be marked with the lasting imprint of the presence of God.”
Here’s another lengthy quote, this is from Gotquestions.org:
We start to see our lives from an eternal perspective. Earthly frustrations lose significance.
We do not have to neglect our responsibilities or relationships to dwell in this secret place. The key to moving there is a total surrender to the Holy Spirit and the will of God for our lives. This decision dominates our actions and changes our outlook. As we obey, God meets us in His secret place (see John 14:21). He teaches us and encourages us to remain. Our continual choice to surrender fully to Him results in His continued strength to do so. If our lives are to bear lasting fruit, the power to bear that fruit comes from time spent with Him in the secret place (John 15:4–5; 1 Corinthians 3:14–15; Psalm 92:12–14).
Jesus said that he is ‘the bread of life’ and ‘the living water,’ which will sustain our souls. In this day and age especially, we need to eat the bread of life and drink from the living water in God’s secret place, in his fortress. For you Superman fans out there, you could call it your ‘fortress of solitude.’ We need that refreshment in our souls, to be fed from there and to drink from there, and to gain a right and courageous perspective on life in order to be the carriers of God’s hope to the world.
Here are some lyrics from Mylon Lefevre that go back over 30 years now:
Your spirit will rise within me and hide me in the secret place; Please open my eyes and help me to hide in your embrace, in the secret place
Prayer: Dear Lord, thank you for your secret place. Thank you for your sanctuary that is not made with human hands. Thank you that we are invited into the secret place of your shelter. We ask that you would meet us there and fill us with your Holy Spirit. We ask that you would speak to us there and, as the song says, ‘hide us in your secret place.’ We ask that you would fill us with the bread of life and living water there. Lord, please sustain us in this crazy world in which we live.
In Jesus’ name, amen.
Communion:
The Bread: When we talk about the Secret Place, it’s secret because it’s a place we can go because of Christ’s sacrifice. Remember when I talked about the moment Jesus died, and the veil was torn in two? We now have direct access to the throne of God. No more priests on our behalf. We can each, individually, have access to God’s throne anywhere and anytime. And it was his body, broken for us, that allows us that privilege. Take and eat.
The Blood: In the same way, the blood also gives us access to God. The blood washes away our sins and makes us worthy to stand in God’s presence with him in the secret place now and for eternity. In the Old Testament, the high priest had to sprinkle the blood of a sacrificed bull on the mercy seat of the ark of the covenant in order to atone for our sins. But Christ’s blood on the cross is a once-for-all sacrifice. Let us take and drink and remember.
This is an updated edition of a post originally published on First Baptist Church of Watkins Glen
Featured Image by Tim Hill from Pixabay
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