The Secret Place

At the beginning of January when we were in Puerto Vallarta sending off family that had visited during Christmas and New Year's, I went to a café in the morning to have some coffee and sit and read. That is my secret place, coffee and the Word! I get excited every time I open the Word because I'm constantly hearing the Lord's voice speaking to me.

That January 7 morning, I went to the coffee shop a couple blocks from the hotel and sat down in an enclosed side room where people can sit and read. I was looking forward to some quiet time to listen to the voice of the Lord as I read. Quietness was nowhere to be found in that room. The music was loud, the fans made lots of noise, and the three Americans at the table next to me were talking as if I was part of the conversation. They were having a good old time talking about their apartments, their kids, when they were going back to the states, and their dogs...their dogs that were with them in the cafe. Yes, and they were barking sharply as other dogs walked by outside the glass wall and door. All three of them had their dogs with them. I was tempted to leave, but I thought, "No, I'm going to stay and see what the Lord shows me."

I sat there reading 1 Kings 6:1-10 about Solomon building the temple. Most of the passage deals with the measurements of the rooms, windows, etc. When I cannot see anything that jumps out to me right away, I ask the Lord, "How is this information so important that it made the pages of scripture?". Every time I've asked that, He shows me something. This time, it was in verse 7...

"And the house, when it was in building, was built of stone made ready before it was brought thither; so that there was neither hammer nor axe nor any tool of iron heard in the house while it was in building."

How ironic! I was in an obnoxiously loud cafe with sounds I've never heard in any other cafe and this is the verse that jumped out at me. Solomon did not allow the noise of "neither hammers nor axe nor any tool of iron" be heard inside the temple area.

The Lord showed me that it doesn't necessarily have to be quiet "outside" for Him to speak to you on the "inside". Our temple (body) can be "quiet" on the inside no matter what kind of noise is surrounding us. 

That spoke volumes to me. 

Don't allow the "noise" of this world (actual noise, circumstances, people, worries, job, etc.) to distract you from spending time with him in The Secret Place. What the enemy wants is for us to not have quality time to spend with our Lord. He knows that if we do, He's in trouble. He's already been defeated, but he wants us to believe he's not. Unfortunately, I think he's convicted many of us of that in the church today.

It is in The Secret Place that the Lord speaks to our quiet hearts.