That Secret Place
Recently I was doing a study on Elijah. I Kings 17:1-7 tells how that after he prophesied to King Ahab that there would be no rain or dew for three years- the Lord told him to go east and hide by the brook Cherith which flows into the river Jordan. There he was able to drink from the brook and he was fed by ravens.
I looked up this word “Cherith”. The location was unknown. The word in the original means “to covenant, make a league”. The place was a hiding place for Elijah. It was a place where he could quench his thirst and satisfy his hunger. It was a place where he could make a covenant, a league with the Lord.
I thought- how much we need those places in our lives. That “secret place”, that “hiding place” where our spiritual hunger and thirst is satisfied. Our prayer closet is that secret place. It is where we go to be alone with God. It is during those times of being shut in with God that He fills us with His spiritual manna and living water. How much we need this in these days. It is a time of drawing away and communing with God. I imagine that Elijah did a lot of meditation while he was there. And the thing was- there was no rain! Where did the water in the brook come from? God sent his food by the ravens. Imagine that!
Eventually the brook did dry up and God sent him on his way to minister to other people. In our lives- our “brook” will never dry up- but God will send us away from the brook, away from that “secret place” to minister to people. We go there to gain new strength and to be fed spiritually. We go there to commune with our Creator. We go there to gain new revelation of the Word. We cannot dwell in the secret place physically all the time. There is a work to do. But the amazing thing is that we can take that “secret place” with us wherever we go- in the spirit. We are to pray without ceasing, meditate on the Word, commune with God. But when we come forth- we need to minister to other people out of that strength and that anointing.
Don’t worry where to go. God will direct you. Just hide yourself away in that special place- that hiding place- that secret place where it is just you and God. It is then that God will direct you or He will direct people to cross your path. Even Jesus- came down from the Mount of Transfiguration and came into the demon possessed valley (see Mark 9). Jesus always rose early in the day and found His secret place to be alone with the Father. But He always left there and ministered to the people.
Don’t neglect that secure hiding place. Don’t neglect that time of drawing away and communing with the Lord where He fills you to overflowing. But then don’t neglect leaving there and ministering to other people. There are a lot of hurting people out there. A lot of lost, confused and dying people—we need to minister the love of Jesus Christ to them. We need to be like traffic cops- directing traffic- only we are directing people to the Lord- showing them the Way—Jesus Christ. Spend time in that secret place and when you leave there; take it with you so that you can minister to others.
I looked up this word “Cherith”. The location was unknown. The word in the original means “to covenant, make a league”. The place was a hiding place for Elijah. It was a place where he could quench his thirst and satisfy his hunger. It was a place where he could make a covenant, a league with the Lord.
I thought- how much we need those places in our lives. That “secret place”, that “hiding place” where our spiritual hunger and thirst is satisfied. Our prayer closet is that secret place. It is where we go to be alone with God. It is during those times of being shut in with God that He fills us with His spiritual manna and living water. How much we need this in these days. It is a time of drawing away and communing with God. I imagine that Elijah did a lot of meditation while he was there. And the thing was- there was no rain! Where did the water in the brook come from? God sent his food by the ravens. Imagine that!
Eventually the brook did dry up and God sent him on his way to minister to other people. In our lives- our “brook” will never dry up- but God will send us away from the brook, away from that “secret place” to minister to people. We go there to gain new strength and to be fed spiritually. We go there to commune with our Creator. We go there to gain new revelation of the Word. We cannot dwell in the secret place physically all the time. There is a work to do. But the amazing thing is that we can take that “secret place” with us wherever we go- in the spirit. We are to pray without ceasing, meditate on the Word, commune with God. But when we come forth- we need to minister to other people out of that strength and that anointing.
Don’t worry where to go. God will direct you. Just hide yourself away in that special place- that hiding place- that secret place where it is just you and God. It is then that God will direct you or He will direct people to cross your path. Even Jesus- came down from the Mount of Transfiguration and came into the demon possessed valley (see Mark 9). Jesus always rose early in the day and found His secret place to be alone with the Father. But He always left there and ministered to the people.
Don’t neglect that secure hiding place. Don’t neglect that time of drawing away and communing with the Lord where He fills you to overflowing. But then don’t neglect leaving there and ministering to other people. There are a lot of hurting people out there. A lot of lost, confused and dying people—we need to minister the love of Jesus Christ to them. We need to be like traffic cops- directing traffic- only we are directing people to the Lord- showing them the Way—Jesus Christ. Spend time in that secret place and when you leave there; take it with you so that you can minister to others.
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