02/23/2026
Do we wake up in the morning with a song of faith on our mind and a melody on our lips? Is it a lyric and song that only the Holy Spirit could have written with us, and right away we know that it is a continuation of the ballad of our life and that it reveals God’s plan for us in another verse of who we are meant to be in Christ?
“"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
Quiet… 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 too... offered from a quiet place with a stillness about us, and the white earbuds of prayer blocking out the impure world while Christ’s voice sings worship into our ears. Is this the way you are humbly ushered into the presence of God? Is this how you pray today? Is this how you would like to begin every day? If not, are you willing to still yourself in quiet and peaceful communion with God today?
“For thus said the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel,
“In returning and rest you shall be saved;
in quietness and in trust shall be your strength.”
But you were unwilling,”
Isaiah 30:15 ESV
I know a man, a special and close friend, who reads this devotional each morning, and he writes music in Nashville, Tennessee. He is prolific and writes many songs, but he wrote one in particular that he shared with me about being on Calvary Hill with Jesus, and I knew right away that he had been there. The tone in his voice was beautifully familiar, the view pristine, the scent of it lifted me. He must have written this song from the summit of Calvary with the earbuds of heaven in his ears and his eyes closed tight against the world. Maybe, you say, he actually wrote this song on a crowded bus, or at a football game, but I doubt that very seriously... his lyrics were restful, spiritual, and came from a quiet place; a prayer closet, or a secret place of stillness and peace.
“But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.”
Matthew 6:6 ESV
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 offered 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.
“But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.”
Luke 5:16 NIV
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 sacred place... it is our moment behind the veil with God. Pastor Andrew Murray spoke of this when he wrote 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 until the sun began to rise. In this place they fought, and yet it was a holy struggle. Struggles such as this are not usually for public consumption, they are meant to define us and our relationship with God. So it was with Jacob, in the predawn hours, in that solitary time when there was quiet in the world, He struggled mightily.
“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 Penuel which in Hebrew means “face of God”.
“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 we have a name for our own Peniel? Do we name those important places where we meet God and wrestled with our faith? Perhaps it is something simple like “My Prayer Chair”, “The Prayer Rock”, or something more revealing like Abraham used when he called it, “The Lord Will Provide”. We name things to remember them, and we name things so that we can come back there time and time again. We too should commemorate those places, honor them, set them apart and make them Holy in our lives.
So maybe you are there in such a place right now and you have already, or will soon, 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 a quiet and secret place to meet God where no carnal thing can distract you from his presence; a place where you can embrace the divine, or struggle spiritually without interruption. My good friend Phil O’Donnell penned a beautiful song about meeting Jesus on Calvary, and I listened to it a couple of times again this morning because it reminds me that Holy men and women have Holy places where they like to go... then I went to my prayer chair, stilled myself, and met God secretly in prayer there.
Prayer:
Father, thank you for meeting me in our secret place of prayer. I know that others will visit their spot today, but for this time that we are here together this 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 my life together. Holy Father, I will be praying always, and in all places, but my mind will wander often to our secret place, this holy spot where I feel your calm so perfectly and we can speak in the intimate tones of a Father and child; and sing a song of life and love. Like my friend’s song I look to the hill for light, for your Son Jesus Christ, 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 by it. Most Holy Father, I am rooted in this, our secret place of prayer, because 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 the two of us can understand... be with me now, and let the dust of this place remain on me as I walk from here into the world once more. Holy, Holy, Holy are you, and in my heart our secrets rest forever.
Amen!
Rich Forbes