I am very grateful for the patient explaining and teaching by the Holy Spirit, but every time He shows me something I realize how much I have to learn and I want to make progress as His student. I sing that line differently –
“Bread of heaven feed me because I’ll always want more.”
This meditation began when (Psalms 91:1) came insistently into my mind. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High remains under the shadow of the Almighty” and no foe can withstand His power. MOST HIGH – far above all kings, rulers, dictators, governments, principalities and powers. For God to cast a shadow He would have to be there. I believe His shadow is His continual Presence. How can I find God’s secret place? How can I live there and make it my permanent address? Do all these verses refer to that same secret place?
Isaiah 57:15 – God dwells in the high and holy place. He inhabits eternity and His Name is Holy. He also dwells with him who has a humble spirit and contrite heart. Such a person would be in the high and holy place with God.
Psalms 24:3-4 – “Who shall ascend to the mountain of the Lord and stand in His holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart.”
Matthew 6:6 – Jesus said to pray to your Father in secret. Does that mean to keep it a secret that I pray – never tell anyone that I’ll pray for them because it is to be kept secret? No, because Jesus told Peter (Luke 22:32) that He prayed for him and we know (Hebrews 7:25) that Jesus intercedes for all believers. We have (John 2:1) an Advocate, (1 Timothy 2:5) Mediator, (1 John 2:2) Propitiation. Jesus prayed for us (John 17:20) before we were born. What else do I need?
Jesus will baptize you (Matthew 3:11) with the Holy Spirit and with fire. It is clear that this does not refer to being baptized by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ when we were born again. What will it mean for me to seek this baptism?
Oswald Chambers – I need to be prepared for Him to drag into the light every wrong thing I have done. Repentance does not bring a sense of sin but a sense of unutterable unworthiness.
I understand this because the vile, wicked things I’ve done (thought, word, deed) are not in themselves what makes me unworthy. It is much deeper. It is what I am (Jeremiah 17:9) so deceitful and desperately wicked that it makes me capable of the worst of sins. Every wrong thing I’ve done is because of what I am.
Oswald Chambers – Have I repented so that I realize I’m utterly helpless and not worthy even to carry His shoes? This baptism of the Holy Spirit is not an experience but a work performed by Jesus Christ. The only conscious experience of this baptism is to have a sense of absolute unworthiness. God is in secret and sees us from the secret place. When we live in the secret place it becomes impossible to doubt God. When we pray to the Father in secret every public thing will be stamped with the presence of God.
In (Psalms 91:1) I don’t think being in God’s Presence is just because of His Omnipresence. It is His personal Presence in personal, continual communion with the Lord because of a loving relationship with Him. I want to live – dwell – abide 24/7 in the secret place of the Most High – BUT – I realize that I am helpless, I have nowhere to go but to the Cross. I know that (John 1:14) Jesus came to be like us so that (1 John 2:2) we could become like Him. But as my mind took me to the Cross of Christ - - I was jolted by a deep – fearful – soul-shaking – reality revelation – far beyond my head knowledge. Looking at my precious suffering Saviour on the Cross I realized – with deep personal awareness, that Jesus was most like me when (2 Corinthians 5:21) He was made sin. It was because He was then so very like me that He had to suffer and die. My mind came to a dead stop and for a while I could go no further. It was vividly personal. I’m talking about the Creator of the universe. He made the moon thousands of years before astronauts walked on it. Now I see him nailed to a Cross!
The incredible quality of God’s love bestowed on me (1 John 3:1) was made possible and guaranteed by the incredible quality of God’s wrath bestowed and poured out on Jesus. He had to be made sin so that I could become what God always intended. I can’t fully comprehend it but with every fibre of my being I believe in the astounding – stupendous – incredible GRACE OF GOD.
How could we dare to believe/receive the first part of this verse and ignore/reject the purpose part of that magnificent truth - - so that we might be made the righteousness of God IN HIM? Will we receive the Resurrection power and grace-filled privilege to walk/live continually in the spirit – or instead – continually feed/indulge the flesh? My flesh is God’s enemy (Romans 7:7) and the carnal mind is Satan’s playground. My flesh is like the revolting, repulsive horseleach (Proverbs 30:15) never satisfied – always wants more- gluts itself until it literally explodes. Just as with the horseleach, the flesh/carnal mind brings death. But (Romans 8:6) to be spiritually minded is life and peace and we can be changed (2 Corinthians 3:18) from glory to glory by degrees being more and more conformed to His image. This is when our mind becomes a battleground. We know that every temptation begins with a thought and the battle is always fought in the mind.
You remember what happened (2 Kings 5:20) when an alien thought invaded Gehazi’s mind.
How much better to get skillful and godly wisdom (Proverbs 16:16) than gold and to get understanding is to be chosen rather than silver – so that we might gain (Ephesians 4:13) the knowledge of the Son of God and (Colossians 1:9) the knowledge of God’s will.
Oswald Chambers – In that day (John 16:26-27) what day? When I am so intimate with Jesus that I am one with Him – a day of undisturbed relationship. By the Resurrection and Ascension power by the Holy Spirit, I can be lifted into such a relationship with the Father that I am at one with the perfect sovereign will of God by my own free choice – even as Jesus was. John said (Luke 3:16) I indeed baptize you with water - but Jesus came. Get to the margin where He does everything.
I am asking the Lord that my thoughts will be born of His will and that my words will be the echo of His thoughts.
Years ago while studying Song of Solomon, I wrote a little love song to Jesus. I just sing it by myself to the tune of – There is a River. I picture myself kneeling on the velvet grass with my head of His knee.
There is a garden where Jesus can be found,
The gentle breeze brings fragrance from blossoms all around,
His arms are around me – His eyes are filled with love
I’ll never leave the garden – ‘til I go, with Him above.