Jesus tells us that when we pray, we should pray to our Father who is in the “secret place.” Jesus spoke to His disciples saying:

But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.

Matthew 6:6 NKJV

To be honest, there was a time when I didn’t really understand what the secret place was. I thought in meant that we should pray to God in private, I didn’t quite understand that there is so much more to it than that. God in His lovingkindness taught me what the secret place is, and how to dwell there. May I suggest that the secret place is not learned by theory, but it is only learned by experience. What I mean by this, is that a person will only come to know the joy and peace of dwelling in the Lord’s presence, by actually dwelling in His presence.

Psalm 16:11 says, “In Your presence is fullness of joy.” I can personally testify to this. The Lord taught me very early in my walk with Him that spending time with Him, is crucial for our relationship. He taught me to enjoy the time I spend with Him in the secret place and not try to rush it, and the result is that I experienced so much joy by dwelling in His presence.

When we desire to be in the Lord’s presence, we have a yearning to be close to Him. We love Him and we want to spend alone time with Him. We have a desire to draw near to Him and to have fellowship with Him. The secret place is where we spend time in the Lord’s presence by praising Him, being intentional in prayer, prayerfully reading and meditating on His Word, wanting to know Him as a loving Father and wanting to hear His voice. It takes patience on our part to wait for the Lord to give us a message and it also takes a willing heart to listen and obey what He reveals to us.

Psalm 91 is filled with wonderful promises of protection for those who dwell in the secret place.

Let’s take a look at these, and I would like to encourage you to go through Psalm 91 slowly, praying and meditating on each promise from the Lord. You may even want to do a Scripture study using your own bible. I would also like to encourage you to pray Psalm 91 over your family and yourself regularly. I would like to share with you my understanding of Psalm 91 as I believe the Holy Spirit has shown me, but may I also encourage you to seek the Lord as He may offer you greater understanding.

Psalm 91 – (Safety of abiding in the presence of God)

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High (the secret place of His Presence)

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. (His protection)

I will say of the LORD,

“He is my refuge (place of safety) and my fortress (a castle or stronghold to offer protection from large scale attacks from the enemy);

My God, in Him I will trust.” (with great confidence and reliance)

Surely He shall deliver (rescue or save) you from the snare

of the fowler (one who catches birds in a trap or snare – meaning He will deliver you from any traps from the enemy)

and from the perilous (deadly) pestilence. (plague or disaster)

He shall cover you with His feathers,

And under His wings you shall take refuge; (Just as chicks take shelter and safety under the wings of their mother, God covers and protects us because He loves and cares for us)

His truth shall be your shield and buckler (a small shield)

You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, (fear no evil)

Nor of the arrow that flies by day, (fear no weapons of warfare from the enemy, fear no spiritual attacks)

Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, (hidden plagues or destruction)

Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

and ten thousand at your right hand; (God protects us from our enemies and He gives us the victory)

But it shall not come near you.

Only with your eyes shall you look,

and see the *reward of the wicked. (The wicked shall be cut off/God will not spare them)

*I would like to pause here just for a moment, because I believe that this point is very important for all of us, and I believe that God wanted me to give a greater explanation of this point as He has revealed it to me. As per Psalm 91:8 – to see the reward of the wicked also means to have victory over our enemies and put them to flight. Kindly remember that our enemies are not people (flesh and blood), but demons, Satan and the rulers within Satan’s kingdom of darkness. When I prayed about this, I believe that the Holy Spirit led me to a passage of Scripture from 2 Samuel 22:38-43 so that I could get a better understanding of what it means to see the reward of the wicked and put our enemies to flight:

I have pursued my enemies and destroyed them; neither did I turn back again till they were destroyed. And I have destroyed them and wounded them, so that they could not rise; they have fallen under my feet. For You armed me with strength for the battle; You have subdued (lit. caused to bow down) under me those who rose against me.

You have also given me the necks of my enemies (given me victory over), so that I destroyed those who hated me. They looked, but there was none to save; even to the LORD, but He did not answer them. Then I beat them as fine as the dust of the earth; I trod them like dirt in the streets, and I spread them out.

2 Samuel 22:38-43 NKJV

Coming back to Psalm 91:

Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge (place of safety),

Even the Most High, your dwelling place,

No evil shall befall you,

Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;

For He shall give His angels charge over you,

To keep you in all your ways.

In their hands they shall bear (lift) you up,

Lest you dash your foot against a stone.

You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra (the enemy in Scripture is often depicted as a lion or a snake),

The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. (Jesus has given us authority over all the power of the enemy. Herewith just some examples of what this could look like: it includes victory in spiritual warfare, victory over temptations and victory over the voices of the enemy so that we may quiet them. It also includes warnings from God and spiritual discernment over the devises and schemes of the enemy, so that we can pray over their schemes knowing that God will secure our victory.)

“Because he has set his love upon Me, (the word “love” here differs from the “agape” love normally used in Scripture. This word means “cling to the Lord or delight in Him.” It has the idea of “holding close to,” or even “hugging tightly in love.”)

Therefore I will deliver him;

I will set him on high (out of the enemy’s reach),

Because he has known My name. (confident reliance on the Lord, knowing He will never forsake us)

He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble; (adversity, affliction, distress, tribulation)

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him,

And show him My salvation.” (deliverance, aid, victory, health, saving, welfare)

In closing, I would just like to encourage all of us to spend time with the Lord in the secret place to seek His will and His guidance for our lives. Let us also seek His wonderful face to know Him more and know what is on His heart at this time. The good news is that there is no right or wrong way to spend time with the Lord in the secret place, all He asks for is a willing heart. He will teach us when we come to Him as little children, willing to learn and willing to obey. He wants to share His heart with us, and He wants us to know Him as a good Father. Thank You Lord Jesus.

I pray these words bless and encourage you in Jesus’ precious mighty name.