In the midst of all the pain and the trials that I have been going through in the past years, God has given me a secret place in which I can interact with him in a very personal and intimate way. It all started out unexpectedly. During times of prayer and seeking his face, images would arise within me of him and I having some time together in a tree house. Sometimes we would just sit and talk. Other times, I would rest in his arms in front of a sparkling fireplace or we would sway to the sound of music. Although what we would do together is absolutely delightful, the part of it all that is the most significant is the intimacy that would grow between us. It planted something deep within my soul. To this day, I don’t necessarily grasp with my intelligence the depth of it all, but that’s alright. Holy Spirit wants to lead us into breath taking and life-altering experiences with our hearts. That asks us to be open-minded, trusting and undoubting.
During the period where I was spending time in my tree house with Jesus, my mother-in-law, who didn’t know about this place, got inspired by a picture of me in her mind that she later translated into the painting that is posted above. When she showed me a sketch of the painting, I knew it was God highlighting this secret place. It shows me worshipping in a tree in which I am entwined as a part of it. A lot of details in the image have great significance, one of them being that I had become a part of the tree, my secret place. When you encounter God, it literally moulds you and shapes you like him. A few months later, I was led in a new encounter, this time in a prairie. I received my new laptop in the days that followed my discovery of this wonderful place. On the desktop screen was an image of a woman walking in a prairie and it looked very much like the one I had seen in my mind. God had once again caught my attention, and he wants to do the same with you! He wants to live great adventures with us that will flood every part of our beings with breathtaking love, peace, wonder, and joy.
My times with God in these places have been one of my greatest treasures yet, and they came in very painful moments. Moments when my body was suffering because of years of cancer. Moments when I was separated from my 4-month-old baby because of health complications. Moments when I had to go through an operation and chemotherapy. Every day still has its difficulties. But in the midst of it all, Holy Spirit has given me a proximity that fills me deeply and makes the weight of my burdens lift off of me. That is, if I go to him. He is accessible at all times, but he often waits for us, his beloved, to respond to his still small voice. This intimacy didn’t instantly take away the trials I was facing. But I had a place to escape it all, recharge my batteries and find peace, which was predominant to have in my circumstances. The enemy may throw many curve balls in our direction, but when he can’t hold us down with fear or discouragement, we are breathing and living every moment of our trials in the victory that Jesus won for us.
What I received is there to grasp for all of us. Maybe you are going through a difficult season. Maybe you are dealing with great discouragement or are at a loss of strength. No matter what your circumstances are, no matter how good or how bad, God invites you into a secret place that he has specially prepared for the two of you. A place where everything you are lacking, you will receive in abundance. A place where you will get to know him and be filled with the purest form of love ever to exist. If dancing with God isn’t your thing, maybe flying with him could be. Or having a heart to heart discussion over the best coffee you’ve ever had. Or having him sing how much he loves you. Or receiving his counsel for a particular problem. Or shooting basketballs. Whatever it is, your loving daddy created you and knows perfectly what your love language is, what your soul is crying out for and how to meet your innermost needs. Open your heart to his love and go with him wherever he leads. A place of refuge and adventure awaits you. He will restore you and fill you in a way that is beyond anything you could have ever imagined…
Note: The poems « Your embrace », “Green Pastures” and the French poems “Le lieu secret” and « Ton étreinte » which are posted on this web site were inspired by my secret places.