02/23/2018
Do you wake up in the morning with a song of faith in your mind and a melody on your lips? Is it a lyric that only God could ever put together, and you know right away that it is the ballad of your life today? I like to listen to music alone in a quiet place with my earbuds in, and my eyes closed; it moves me. Prayer is meant to be like that... a quiet place, a still about you, the earbuds of prayer carrying Christ’s voice into your ears, and the lyrics of heaven softly ushering you before the throne. Is this how you pray?
“"And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.”
Matthew 6:5 ESV
There is a man, a special and close friend, who reads this devotional each morning, and he writes music. He is prolific and writes many songs, but he wrote one recently that he shared with me about being on the hill with Jesus, and I knew right away that he had been there. The voice was beautifully familiar, the view pristine, the scent of it lifted me. He had written that song from the summit with the earbuds of heaven in his ears and his eyes closed. Perhaps he wrote this song on a crowded bus, or at a football game, but I doubt that very seriously... those lyrics came from a quiet place; a prayer closet, a secret place.
Where do you pray to begin your day? Do you reach out to heaven from the quiet of a special room? Perhaps it is while sipping coffee on the back porch with the sun peeking over the horizon, maybe you begin at the kitchen sink as you prepare school lunches in the early hours, or from a comfortable chair before the House comes alive for the day. Wherever you pray it should be quiet, and solitary. Prayer is best in secret... intimate, uninterrupted, unseen and unheard by another. Prayer is not a show, it is the soft discourse of lovers, it is the secret that you would never dare utter out loud, it is telling God what he already knows about you, but needs to be said anyway, it is asking for things that no one in the world knows you need... it is a heart to heart exchange with the divine.
Are you prepared to meet God today? Have you selected a secret rendezvous place, a getaway where the two of you can share your relationship without interruption? There are times when we pray with our loved ones beside us, but even those closest to our hearts, our most trusted friends, should not be allowed here in this place... our moment behind the veil with God. Andrew Murray speaks of this in these words:
“God hides himself from the carnal eye. If in worship we are primarily occupied with our own thoughts and exercises, we will not meet Him who is spirit. But to the one who withdraws himself from all that is of the world and the flesh and prepares to wait upon God alone, the Father will reveal himself.” - Andrew Murray
Jacob wrestled with God alone. He did so before the sun rose. In this place they fought, and yet it was a holy struggle. Struggles such as this are not for public consumption, they are meant to define us and our relationship. In the predawn hours, in that time when there was quiet in the world, Jacob struggled.
“And Jacob was left alone. And a man wrestled with him until the breaking of the day.”
Genesis 32:24 ESV
In the end God renamed Jacob; not so much because of the struggle, but because he had been changed by it. His resolve had been tested and perfected... even though his hip had been put out of joint. Jacob left this place with a new name, Israel, and he named that place.
“So Jacob called the name of the place Peniel, saying, "For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life has been delivered." The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip.”
Genesis 32:30-31 ESV
Do you have a name for your Peniel? Do you name those important places where you meet God? Perhaps it is something simple like “My Prayer Chair”, “The Prayer Rock”, or something more revealing like Abraham used “The Lord Will Provide”. We name things to remember, and we name things so that we can come back there time and time again. Commemorate those places, honor them, set them apart and make them Holy in your life.
So maybe you are there in that place and you have, or will, pray today. Maybe you are reading before falling asleep and you will rise in the morning to begin your day in prayer, whatever the case might be... set aside a special time and place to meet God where no carnal thing can distract you from his presence; a place where you can embrace the divine, or struggle without interruption. My good friend penned a beautiful song about meeting Jesus on a hill, and I listened to it a couple of times this morning because it reminded me that Holy things have Holy places where they like to go... then I went to mine, and met my God in prayer.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for meeting me in our secret place of prayer. I know that others will visit this spot today, but for this time that we are here together it is our quiet place, and our time to be alone; hear me now Oh Lord my God. Help me to go about my day with you at my side, and give me the steady flow of prayers that will sustain me as we travel through it together. Holy Father, I will be praying always, and in all places, but my mind will wander often to this place, this holy spot where I feel your calm so perfectly and we can speak in intimate tones of love. Like my friend’s song I look to the hill for light, for your Son Jesus, and no matter where I roam I will glance there for His reassurance; guide me Merciful Father, and always keep that hill in sight so that I will know where I am, and gain my bearings in life. Most Holy Father, I am rooted in this secret place of prayer, and it is where you water me, and feed me. You provide for me here in ways that no man can know, and in ways that only we can understand... be with me now, and let the dust of this place remain on me as I walk from here. Holy, Holy, Holy are you, and in my heart our secrets rest forever.
Rich Forbes