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Mar 03, 2023 18:30pm

Secret, Quiet Place

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When I was young, I read the book “The Secret Garden”. I could picture it in my mind as I read about the secret door she found, the beds being overgrown with weeds and vines, and even the robin she would see in the Spring.

My grandmother had an old garden area that had a large peach tree in the center. It had daffodils and phlox that surrounded the outside. Inside the fence, I pretended that it was my secret garden. I would go there often, sometimes with my sister to play, but many times I went alone. Sometimes I was happy and played all afternoon there. Other times, I would be sad and it became a refuge for me. I would pretend I was in that book and that I, like Mary, had found a secret, hidden gem.

I loved that little place.

“And straightway he constrained his disciples to get into the ship, and to go to the other side before unto Bethsaida, while he sent away the people. And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray.” (Mark 6:45-46)

The people have miraculously been fed. Jesus encourages the disciples to get in the boat and sail to the other side while He encourages the crowd to go home. After sending everyone on their way, Jesus is alone.

He could have laid down and napped. He could have visited with a friend. He could have gone on to the other side to meet the disciples.

But Jesus takes this time to find a place to pray. He heads to the mountain. I can only imagine why He would choose this location over any other. Perhaps it was to have a better view of the surrounding land and the Sea of Galilee. Maybe He liked the rigorous hike to get up to the mountain. Perhaps He walked and talked and knew that He would be alone there. There are a thousand guesses, but one thing we do know is that He made the time to pray. He got alone with God and they talked. It doesn’t say exactly what was said, but we know He spent that time with the Heavenly Father.

Where is your place to get alone with the Lord? Today, mine looks a little different. Many times, it’s out in the woods along the trail. Sometimes it’s in my chair as I read each morning. Other times, it’s the cold, concrete floor beside my bed.

It’s where I pour my heart out to the Lord. It’s where I confide in God all of my worries and fears. It’s the place where I beg Him to soften the hearts of those that deny Him so that they might be saved. It’s where I plead for my niece and nephews to know Him personally and choose to follow Him with their lives. It’s the place where I praise Him for His holiness, His providential hand that leads the way, His marvelous creation, and His overwhelming grace and mercy towards me.

And it’s where He speaks to me. Where He convicts my heart to seal forgiveness where I have wronged someone dear to me. It’s the place where He reminds me that He is in control. It’s where He tells me to be still, that He is God, that He is my rock, my strong tower and my deliverer. It’s the place where He reminds me that the work He has called me to do can only be done by Him, I just need to simply obey.

Where is your place? Have you taken time to go there today? There is nothing more important than meeting with the Lord. Stop what you are doing and go to that special place. Meet with God. Share your heart. Pour out your fears and doubts. Cry out to the Almighty Father for deliverance! Praise Him! Worship Him! Be still in that place and know that He alone is God and is worthy!