The miracle of divine confinement

Monday, May 10, 2021

The miracle of divine confinement

But you, when you pray, enter your room, close your door and pray to your Father who is there in the secret place. Matthew 6.6

Half of the inhabitants of Earth have experienced lockdown in homes, by order of governments. Failure to obey this order can lead to very steep fines.

The Bible speaks of another type of place of confinement, a secret place where we isolate ourselves with God our Father. Jesus said : "When you pray, come into your room, close your door, and pray to your Father who is there in the secret place." (Matthew 6.6)

We don't have to go there or else you will be fined or punished. Out of love, we are invited to go there to converse with our Father in heaven, to take pleasure in his presence and to receive his heart, his will, his directions, his joy and his strength.

We need it, because this world is oh so stressful ! The Bible says this world is under the influence of sin and Satan. The apostle John explains it thus : "All that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world." (1 John 2.16)

Add to that a busy schedule with : work, family, household and administrative tasks, leisure... and sometimes there is no time left to take advantage of the beneficent presence that is found in God alone, in the secret place.

John Bunyan said : "He who flees from God in the morning will not meet him the rest of the day." You may think he is too legalistic or radical, but this is my personal experience and that of millions of others!

"It is in the presence of the Father that my whole day is played out."

Whenever I have quality time in my secret place with Heavenly Papa, and my attention is not on my watch but on his person alone, then like a car that has been refueled, I come out full and equipped to face my day and its challenges with power.

I notice that it is in the presence of the Father that my whole day is played out. Not only is my emotional reservoir filled, but I also download from heaven everything God has planned for this day :

. Divine connections

. Divine provisions

. Divine inspirations

. Divine solutions

. Divine visions

. Divine directions

. Divine protections

. Divine grace,

. Etc.

On the contrary, when I missed a morning "confined in the secret place" to receive the river of love and joy from the Father, my soul is dry and everything seems slow and exhausting to me. It doesn't mean that God won't act, but I will be less aware of it and my experience today may be like walking through a barren wasteland.

Heidi Baker said this life-changing truth : "You accomplish more by spending time in the presence of God than by doing anything else."

A decision for today

Father, from today, I decide to "take the time to go fast" by devoting time to you, in quantity and quality. May the first face I see every morning be yours. May I live the promise of Numbers 6:24-26 : "The Lord bless you, and keep you ! May the Lord shine his face on you, and be gracious to you ; the Lord turn to you, and give you peace !"

David Nolent

Source (The Thought of the Day)