Do you have a special designated area where you pray? Would you call it your “secret place” to spend time with the Lord? To be in His presence and to hear from Him?
We know the Lord is everywhere. He is omnipresent. We can connect with Him anytime, in any place. Even so, Jesus talks in the Word about going into your own room and shutting the door. What Jesus speaks of is our need for finding our secret place.
The Right Kind of Envy
Dick’s comments: Recently, Philip Wyns and I enjoyed a special time of fellowship with Scott Harper, a dear friend and the president of Be in Health, a ministry that has had a longstanding affinity with Derek Prince Ministries. (Scott is also the pastor of Hope of the Generations Church.) During the time we spent together, Philip and Scott began to talk about their specific places where they would go to be alone with the Lord.
I found myself growing a little envious as they talked—actually, in a helpful, inspiring kind of way. What Philip and Scott were discussing sparked a desire in me to experience something similar—the kind of motivation the writer of Hebrews mentions: to “spur one another on” (10:24 NIV) or to “provoke” or “stir up” in a good way.
Their words were a positive, personal inspiration for finding my own secret place.
How It Began
Philip’s comments: One morning as I was praying, I sensed the Lord telling me that I needed to find a “secret place” outside of my home where I could spend time with Him. On the day I set off to find that location, I crossed two farmer’s fields adjacent to our property, and then entered a forested area. In the center of that forest, my eye was drawn to a fallen log—and that log became my place for spending time with the Lord.
At first, I didn’t know what I was supposed to do. I would take my place at the log on a regular basis and pray as I usually did at home. But something seemed to be missing. Then, late one afternoon when I returned to my house from the secret place, I found my wife, Lisa, preparing dinner, helping our daughters with their homework, as well as handling phone calls from friends at our church. I was overcome with gratitude, and I said, “Lisa, you are an amazing person! Thank you for preparing a wonderful dinner, helping the girls, and caring for our friends. I love you so much!” Spontaneously, Lisa hugged me and kissed me. In that moment, the Lord showed me a profound truth.
“The same way you greeted Lisa—with thanks and praise—is the way to come into My presence.” Just as Psalm 100:4 says, we enter His gates with thanksgiving, and we come into His courts with praise. That became the focus of my time in the secret place.
Jesus Provides Clarity
In Matthew 6, we find specific instruction from Jesus about the “secret place.” He refers to our need to incorporate this principle in our giving, our praying, and our fasting. Here are two encouraging points from Jesus’ teaching about prayer.
Point #1: The Lord is there. This truth comes from verse 6: “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” Isn’t it amazing to read that our Father is in the secret place? That is the best reason of all for making the effort to find our secret place. The Father is already there waiting for us.
Point #2: Less is more. In verse 7, Jesus tells us our prayer activity should be much simpler than we might imagine: “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
What does Jesus do right after this instruction? He graciously provides us with a model prayer of less than seventy words. Simple, direct prayer for our secret place.
Security in the Secret Place
In the second week of a powerful and inspiring radio series, “Where to Find Security, Part 2,” Derek Prince shares some profound Scriptural truths. He talks about the array of benefits that are to be found in the “secret place of the Most High God.”
Not only is it where we enjoy time with the Lord and hear His direction for our lives. According to Derek, it is also a place of protection and peace in the midst of the upheaval we often face in the world around us. Derek encourages us to make it a site where we dwell and remain—a great inspiration for us to find our secret place.
The question is: How can we make our dwelling in the secret place of the Most High? How can we get into that secret place? Well, it’s very clear that a secret place is hidden. It has to be searched for. It isn’t advertised. There is no sign hanging out telling you, “This is the secret place,” because if there was a sign hanging out saying that, it wouldn’t be a secret place. So, this is a secret that we have to find . . .
I think of old castles where I’ve been in my own country, Britain, and in Europe. Many times, in an old castle there was a secret door with a secret passage that led to an escape exit. Often, this secret door would be covered up by something like a tapestry or a large portrait. When you removed the tapestry or the portrait from the wall behind it, there was a little mechanism to press, and the door swung open—and you had found the secret place.
I think that is a picture as well of the secret place of God. It is covered by a picture, by something we wouldn’t associate with it. I want to tell you the answer to the secret: the door is the cross of Jesus.
Asking for His Help
How does the Lord want us to respond? What is the proper action after hearing the encouragement of Jesus from Matthew 6 and Derek’s comments? Maybe it is simply to ask our Lord to guide us in this matter. Would you like to pray together about it now?
Lord, I see that the prospect of finding You in the secret place is something You desire for me. With this prayer, Lord, I simply want to say, “Yes,” to You. I admit my need to find a place to meet regularly with You.
Father, I want to draw ever closer in my relationship with You. If that requires finding a regular place of prayer—the secret place—I want to be obedient. Would You please help me in this pursuit? Please show me how to find my secret place, and I will come there regularly to be with You. Amen.
What We Can Expect
What impact can you and I anticipate from the simple prayer we just offered? What can we expect to happen when we meet with the Lord in our secret place?
I fully believe that in this place, we will experience the refreshing and restoration that comes from being in God’s presence. Without question, it should deepen our spiritual maturity and increase our closeness with the Lord. As you pursue this goal, all of us at Derek Prince Ministries want to join in to affirm you and cheer you on.
Also, we want to provide any further inspirational materials you may need, and that could start with “Where to Find Security, Part 2,” the message from which we took Derek’s quote. It is yours, free of charge, just use the download link—one small way for us to express our thanks to you. Simply put, this ministry couldn’t continue without your prayers and support!
Our Perfect Example
As we close this letter about our pursuit of the secret place of prayer, we can draw the greatest encouragement of all from the life of Jesus, our Savior. Consistently, throughout the Gospels, we read about Jesus withdrawing to isolated places. Why did He do this? To be refreshed and restored by intimate fellowship with the Father.
Three passages from Luke will help us see this point more clearly. Luke 4:42 (NASB) says: “When day came, Jesus left and went to a secluded place.” Routinely in the evening, Jesus would find an isolated place and spend all night in fellowship with the Father. This verse, interestingly, says He did so at the beginning of this particular day.
We see the nighttime aspect in Luke 6:12 (NASB): “It was at this time that He [Jesus] went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer with God.” Luke 5:16 (NASB) summarizes this pattern in the life of Jesus: “But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.” It was a regular part of His life.
Is there a message to take away from the clear example Jesus sets for us? Most likely, God is speaking to you and me right now—that this is His time for us to begin. What is the Lord’s direction for each of us? To focus on finding our secret place.
Sincerely in Christ,
Philip Wyns
President, DPM-USA
All the best,
Dick Leggatt
Executive Consultant/Senior Editor
