Entering the Secret Place of Praise & the Presence of God
Throughout the Bible, the Lord shows His power as being high above that of anything in the natural realm- because He created it all! The Lord works on earth through His people for their good and for His glory, but if you don’t know how to enter the presence of God, you won’t experience the full measure of that power in your life.
Your enemy knows the true power of praise and worship and he will do anything he can to prevent you from entering the presence of God. That’s because even your enemy, the devil, knows the secret power of praise and worship is found in God’s presence!
Using the fallen condition of this world, your enemy, “who was a murderer from the beginning” (John 8:44) will try to keep you trapped in the prison of your natural experiences when the Lord wants to set you free through with His supernatural power.
Remember, your Adversary will put your faith to the test and he will press and he will push and he will poke until you feel like you’re going to break. The Psalmist wrote this:
“You have pushed against me, that I was falling…but the Lord helped me.” (Psalm 118:13)
You do not HAVE to break. David wrote, that the Lord, “will never allow the righteous to be moved,” but that doesn’t mean that the enemy won’t TRY to move you! In and of yourself, you are not strong enough to withstand those assaults, but God is!
“…the Lord, “will never allow the righteous to be moved,” but that doesn’t mean that the enemy won’t TRY to move you!“
The devil will try to get you to make choices from a place of fear or pain or to determine your options based on how you feel or to believe what you see in the natural because then you’ll experience confusion and panic and have no peace or clear thinking – don’t fall for it! Run to the Lord!
What is the Secret Place of the Presence of God?
The Psalmist wrote, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him, and bless His name.”
It isn’t complicated, according to the Bible: Praise and worship with the sacrifice of thanksgiving are how you enter the presence of God (Psalm 100:4). That’s because true praise and worship are ministry to the Lord. They are inherently God-centered and are a private, personal experience between you and the Lord.
Throughout the Bible, there are numerous references to the “secret place” where the Lord abides. Take a look at the Scriptures below and you’ll see that the presence of God, the “secret place”, is only a mystery to those who don’t praise Him:
- In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: He heard my voice out of His temple, and my cry came before Him, even into His ears…And He rode upon a cherub, and did fly: yea, He did fly upon the wings of the wind. He made darkness His secret place; His pavilion round about Him were dark waters and thick clouds of the skies.” (Psalm 18:6,10-11)
- “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me up upon a rock.” (Psalm 27:5)
- “Thou shalt hide [those that fear You] in the secret of Thy presence from the pride of man: Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.” (Psalm 31:20)
- “You are my secret hiding place; You will preserve me from trouble; You will surround me with shouts of deliverance.” (Psalm 32:7)
- “I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert (“secret”) of Thy wings.” (Psalm 61:4)
- “You called in trouble, and I delivered thee; I answered you in the secret place of thunder…” (Psalm 81:7)
- “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” (Psalm 91:1)
- “Thou art my secret hiding place and my shield: I hope in Thy word.” (Psalm 119:114)
The “secret place” of the presence of God isn’t a natural location, it’s a spiritual one. That is because God’s presence is accessible to anyone regardless of whether or not they ever set foot in a church. How do you enter into those gates? With thanksgiving and praise. There is no other way in.
How to Enter the Secret Place of God’s Presence
There is a unique anointing upon praise and worship that are distinct from reading the Word of God and from prayer (which are each uniquely powerful as well). However, you won’t always want to enter into the presence of God through praise and worship, because you will have to sacrifice yourself to do it.
- As you fix your eyes on Jesus, fix your thoughts and fix your heart on Him in praise, your spirit becomes stronger.
- As you spend in the presence of God in praise and worship, you remind yourself of who God is, and your mind becomes refocused away from yourself and your situations and onto the One who knows, sees, hears, and answers.
- As you set aside time to privately praise and worship the Lord, the power of God’s presence begins to grow from within you, growing your faith first, and then outward, through you, into the situations of your life.
One of the most important ways you can enter into the secret place of God is through remembering His mighty acts in your life. (Psalm 105:5)
Asaph wrote, “…We give thanks to You, O God; we give thanks, for Your name is near. We recount Your wondrous deeds…” (Psalm 75:1 ESV) The names of God reveal His character and help you recall what He has done for you.
Enter into the Lord’s presence with the sacrifice of thanksgiving because:
- “…the Lord dwells within the praises of His people…” (Psalm 22:3)
- “…in the presence of God is fullness of joy…” (Psalm 16:11)
- “…the joy of the Lord is your strength.” (Nehemiah 8:10)
Remember: Your victory will always start inside of you before you see it outside of you.
You hold within yourself testimonies of His faithfulness to you from your own life. Even if things are hard right now, do what David did when things were hard for him – get into the presence of God through praise:
“…so I will bless You as long as I live; in Your name I will lift up my hands… I remember You upon my bed, and meditate on You in the watches of the night; for You have been my help, and in the shadow of Your wings I will sing for joy….” (Psalm 63:5-7 ESV)
Learn more about the 7 Hebrew Words for Praise and how each one helps create strength, intimacy, and fresh revelation as you understand more about God’s plan for praise in your life!
Remembering what God has done for you and thanking Him for those things – even if they’re small – are how you enter into His presence. Gratitude is the point of origin for praise and your faith cannot exist without the vital connection to the Lord that comes from ministry to Him.
Thought for Today: Praise Invites the Presence of God
One of the most powerful ways you can enter into the secret place of God is to worship Him when you don’t want to – when you are afraid, when you are exhausted, when you are overwhelmed, when you are angry. Worship and praise are a willing sacrifice and the “living sacrifice” God desires is you.
As you minister to the Lord in your praise and worship, you will find that you have the supernatural joy that gives you strength to survive and not be moved because God cannot be moved! Remember, “…in His presence is fullness of joy” (Psalm 16:11) and the joy of the Lord will make you strong. (Nehemiah 8:10)
The presence of God protects, provides, empowers, proves His Word and as you close in alone with Him daily in your personal praise you’ll see more and more that His promises are true.
Remember:
- Praise and worship should remove your mind and heart from yourself
- Praise and worship should direct your mind and heart onto the Lord
“For the mountains may be removed, and the hills may shake, but My kindness shall not depart from you, nor shall My covenant of peace be removed, says the Lord who has mercy on you.” (Isaiah 54:10)
Whatever life throws at you, get into the presence of God and WORSHIP THE LORD because, “…The mountains melt like wax at the presence of the Lord, at the presence of the Lord of the earth.” (Psalm 97:5)
Learn More About the Secret Place of God’s Presence:
