The Bible has a lot to say about the importance and value of having a secret place with God. This is a place where we can get away from the busyness and distractions of life to spend quality time alone with the Lord. Here are some of the key things the Bible teaches about the value of having a secret place:
Jesus Himself Had a Secret Place
Jesus, our perfect example, made it a priority to frequently withdraw to desolate places to pray alone and connect with His Heavenly Father. Mark 1:35 says, “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed.” Luke 5:16 also tells us that “Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.” If Jesus Himself needed a secret place with the Father, how much more do we need it!
Secret Places Help Us Connect with God
Time in a secret place helps us connect with God in a deep, intimate way. When we get alone with the Lord, we can pour out our hearts to Him, meditate on His Word, listen for His voice, and allow Him to refresh our souls. The busyness of life often crowds out quiet time with God, but solitary places provide an environment where we can block out distractions and focus on the Lord. Matthew 14:23 describes Jesus going up to a mountainside by Himself to pray after ministering to crowds of people.
Secret Places Are Where We Find Spiritual Renewal
A secret place revitalizes our inner being. When our souls are weary, there is nothing more rejuvenating than solitary time with the Lord. Psalm 23:3 says God “refreshes my soul” and Isaiah 40:31 promises that “they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength.” Getting alone with God is like drinking from a cool stream – He replenishes us spiritually as we wait on Him.
Secret Places Help Us Hear from God
Some of God’s most profound directives come when believers are alone with Him. Throughout Scripture, we see pivotal moments of communication between God and those who lingered in His presence in seclusion – Moses at the burning bush, Elijah at Mount Sinai, Jesus in the wilderness. God’s still small voice often breaks through when all other voices are silenced. A secret place positions our hearts to discern His voice.
Solitude and Silence Are Rare in Our Culture
In our increasingly busy, noisy culture, times of solitude and silence have become a lost art. Yet our souls desperately need these quiet moments with the Lord. Secret places provide a shelter from the never-ending noise and chaos around us. Turning off screens, stilling our bodies, and silencing our voices tune our spirits to hear God’s voice.
The Early Church Valued Solitary Prayer
The disciples and early church valued private prayer as seen by Jesus’ example and instructions to pray in a secret place (Matthew 6:6). Though they prayed fervently together, they also spent solitary time seeking the Lord individually. Even Jesus instructed His disciples to “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest” after their time of ministry (Mark 6:31).
Secret Places Prepare Us for Public Ministry
While collective worship and prayer are vital, our public ministry flows from our private times with God. He works profoundly in our inner lives during secret moments with Him to ready us for serving others. Jesus prepared for public ministry by stepping away to desolate places. Time alone with the Lord is seldom wasted time. He uses it to equip us.
God Rewards Those Who Seek Him in Secret
God blesses those who diligently pursue intimate encounters with Him in hidden places, away from the eyes of others. In Matthew 6:6, Jesus says the Father will reward those who pray in secret. These rewards include spiritual nourishment, refreshing, direction, inner transformation, and spiritual gifts to serve others.
Secret Places Allow Unhurried Time with God
Rushing dampens our awareness of God’s presence. Private places provide opportunities to linger in His presence without haste. When we aren’t constrained by tight schedules and tasks lists, we can detach from busyness to soak in the stillness with Christ. Unrushed time with the Lord renews the soul.
Solitude Cultivates Greater Sensitivity to God
When our time with God is limited to quick moments squeezed into our day, it’s easy to miss His subtle presence and quiet whispers. Extended alone times in secluded places deepen our spiritual awareness as we become attuned to God in new ways. Silencing the noise around us awakens our sensitivity.
God Desires Intimacy with Us
At the heart of solitary prayer is a gracious God who desires intimate communion with us. He created us for fellowship with Himself. Secret places aren’t about following lifeless religious rituals but deepening our relationship with a loving Father. He wants us to know Him and meet with Him one-on-one.
Jesus Prioritized Solitary Prayer
Though immersed in busy ministry, Jesus made it a priority to frequently withdraw to desolate places to pray alone. Mark 1:35 says He often arose very early in the morning to find that secret place. If prayer was that important to the Son of God, we should follow His example and not neglect time alone with the Father.
Secret Places Prepare Us for Eternity with God
Our deepest longing is for eternal fellowship with God, unhindered by sin and earthly limitations. Time spent alone with Him now is a foretaste of the unbroken communion we will enjoy in eternity. The more we bask in His presence in hidden places today, the more we anticipate our forever home with Him.
We Live in Noisy Times
With technology’s incessant noise and busy modern lifestyles, entering into quiet with God counters the cacophony around us. Escaping to still places to commune with the Lord brings rest for souls drowned out by constant distractions. Solitude is countercultural but necessary discipline.
Silence Allows God’s Voice to Be Heard
God speaks in a still small voice, not through loud clamor. When we trade noise and crowds for quietness with God, His gentle whispers pierce through. We can tune our ears to the soundtrack of heaven rather than earth. Extended times of listening usher us into His peace and presence.
Busyness Erodes Our Spiritual Life
It’s easy to become so busy doing good things, we neglect time with God. Constant activity crowds out contemplation. Without deliberate efforts to withdraw from busyness into seclusion, our spiritual vitality fades. Protecting times of secret retreat preserves our soul.
We Live in a Post-Christian Culture
As Christianity loses dominance in our culture, believers need secret places more than ever. Time alone with God strengthens and equips us to follow Him in an indifferent – and sometimes hostile – society. Hidden times fortify our faith when it’s under assault in public places.
Silence Restores Our Perspective
Busyness, tasks, and interactions often dominate our consciousness, eclipsing eternal matters. Retreating into silence realigns our awareness back to God. Less noise around us awakens greater consciousness of His presence and reorients us to Him.
Our Culture Does Not Value Silence
We live in an entertainment society addicted to noise and stimulation. Yet the silence of being alone with God nourishes the soul in ways entertainment can’t. Though not valued by our culture, silence before God brings rewards worldly substitutes can’t offer.
Secret Places Offer Protection from Evil
Just as Jesus countered Satan’s temptations by withdrawing into the wilderness, secret places provide refuge from spiritual warfare. Isolation deprives the enemy of opportunities and shields us from attack. Time alone rejuvenates us for future battles.
Our Thought Life Needs Redeeming
When our minds remain constantly occupied, our thought patterns often become ungodly. By taking thoughts captive in a secret place and meditating on Scripture, God renews our thinking and washes it in His truth. Silence sanctifies us.
God Desires to Meet with Us
God isn’t an absentee Father in heaven, but One who earnestly wants to commune with His children. Jesus said His Father will meet with us when we enter our inner room and shut the door (Matthew 6:6). He eagerly awaits us in secret.
Silence Allows Spiritual Disciplines to Flourish
Prayer, fasting, meditation, listening for God’s voice – these disciplines require uncluttered time to thrive. Constant noise drowns out the Spirit. When we unplug devices and quiet ourselves, spiritual practices blossom.
Secret Places Prepare Us for Heaven
Time with God in seclusion gives us a taste of the eternal fellowship we will enjoy with Him in heaven someday. The more we seclude ourselves with Him now, the more our spirits become acclimated to the atmosphere of heaven.
God Transforms us in Secret Places
Moses’ face shone radiantly after encountering God in solitary places. The Holy Spirit profoundly changes us when we meet alone with the Lord. His transforming hand touches secret areas of our inner lives during quiet retreats.
We Need God’s Presence in a Fallen World
This present darkness seeks to discourage us and rob our joy. Time alone with God infuses us with His joy and peace to counter this fallen world. His presence nourishes us spiritually for the daily battles we face.
Distractions Compete with God’s Voice
Busyness fills our minds with distractions causing us to miss God’s subtle voice. The silence of solitary places removes competing noises so we can become aware of His whispers. God won’t force His voice through the clamor.
Time in God’s Presence Renews Our Strength
Constant busyness saps our emotional, mental, and spiritual energy. We start running on empty. Quiet communion revitalizes and recharges us as God breathes new life into weary souls. His strength infuses us.
We Live in the Information Age
While access to data abounds, true wisdom is found in stillness before God. Ceasing information intake by withdrawing to quiet places allows God’s voice to break through. His gentle whispers provide the revelation we really need.
Our Souls Need Restoration
The turbulence of this fallen world leaves our souls depleted. We start to operate from our own hollow strength rather than God’s Spirit. Private retreats into His presence restore souls to wholeness and refresh areas the busyness burned out.
God Desires Partnership with Us
The Lord chooses to work in partnership with believers through prayer. Time alone with Him isn’t just a ritual but a relationship. He invites us into spiritual conversations and activities through intimate prayer encounters.
Secret Places Remind Us of What Matters
Busyness crowds our schedules and minds with good but secondary things. Withdrawing into God’s presence filters out the clutter so we can focus on what matters eternally. He recalibrates our perspectives during quiet retreats.
Silence Makes Us More Spiritually Discerning
Bombarding our senses drowns out God’s still small voice. Deafening noise covers up the Spirit’s whispers. When we quiet ourselves before God, our spiritual senses heighten allowing greater discernment.
Constant Activity Produces Spiritual Shallowness
Incessant doing with little being stagnates spiritual depth. The richness of our relationship with God easily becomes one-dimensional when we fail to cease activity for times of secret retreat into His presence. Depth comes through stillness.
Our Minds and Bodies Need Replenishing
Non-stop demands drain our minds, bodies, and emotions. We feel depleted. God designed times of solitary retreat not just to strengthen our spirits but renew our minds and replenish our bodies. Secret places restore wholeness.
God Wants More for Us Than Busyness
Busyness makes us feel important but robs us of peace. God’s desire isn’t for us to live frenzied, pressure-filled lives. Time alone with Him aligns us with His purposeful yet unhurried pace where we find nourishment.
We Live in a Chaotic World
The upheaval around us frazzles our nerves and unsettles our souls. Our psyche needs an island of calm amid the chaos. Alone times with God become like a deep pool of serenity we can dive into and saturate our senses with peace.
God Wants to Reveal Himself to Us
A primary purpose of solitary prayer is to unveil the glory of God to us. He wants us to know Him deeply, not just cognitively but experientially. Drawing near Him in the secret place opens His heart to us and reveals His beauty.
Finding Rest Requires Getting Away
Constant demands rob our souls of rest. While sleep provides physical rest, spiritual and emotional rest only come through withdrawing into God’s presence. Secret places of communion become sanctuaries of rest.
The Bible makes it abundantly clear how valuable it is for believers to have a secret place of retreat with the Lord. God eagerly desires to meet us in these solitary places so He can refresh our souls, speak His truth into our spirits, strengthen us for the daily battles we face, and reveal more of Himself to us. Time alone with the Lord not only benefits us individually but equips us for more fruitful public ministry. Our culture today derides silence and solitude, but time in a secret place may be the very thing we need most in order to thrive spiritually and live vibrant lives of purpose.
