IN THE SECRET

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matthew 6:6 NIV)

As a church we have been walking with Pastor Randy through a series called "Going Deeper," encouraging all of us to dig deeper into our relationships with God. As Randy was delivering his sermon he quoted Matthew 6:6. As soon as he stopped reading this verse, something inside of me both convicted and challenged me to go back home and to re-read this scripture in the quiet of my room. I know that, personally, I am guilty of not spending enough time on my knees seeking His presence. As a worship leader, it can be so easy to fall into the temptation of doing things on my own and relying solely on my own skills. But when I rely solely on myself and neglect spending time with God in the secret of my room, it is evident as I try to lead others into worship. 

When I devote time to spend in the quiet with God, his Spirit flows so freely and naturally as I lead his people worship. His presence is very evident. Matthew 7:20 says,

Yes, just as you can identify a tree by its fruit, so you can identify people by their actions. (NLT) 

If I spend quality time alone at the feet of my King, then my actions will reflect that I have been with Jesus. My time with him will also be reflected in my attitudes, my words, my decisions; everything I do and say will be the fruit of my time spent with God in the secret. The presence of God in our lives and our worship is essential, because the presence of God changes lives and renews our hearts. I cannot lead people into the presence of God if I, myself, haven’t been into His presence. I cannot invite or exhort people to worship if I do not do that in my own time. Matthew 6:6 states something very important: when we spend time with God in the privacy and secrecy of our room, He is going to manifest himself through us as we go into the world.

As a Christian and son of the living God, I desperately want to bear good fruit, and I want to be able to lead people into the Lord’s throne room to experience His incredible love. I know that the only way that it will happen is by closing my door and truly seeking His presence. I know that in His presence there is fullness of joy and peace that transcends all understanding. As I experience this joy and peace, those around me will truly be able to see the Joy of the Lord from within me. They will know I have been with Jesus simply by the way I smile or talk with them.

I know that God is always ready to spend time with me ... but am I going to allow Him to speak to me? Or will the busyness of my life take me away from experiencing His presence? It is up to me to choose whether I get on my knees and seek His face every day or not. I want my worship to be anointed and for people to enjoy His presence, but if I do not humble myself and seek his face in secret, then everything I do will be in vain. Ultimately, I know that if I honor God then He will honor me.

All I want to do is to go deeper into my relationship with God. I so badly desire for Him to speak to me and for Him to use me for his kingdom. The more I seek Him, the more I will find Him.

Israel 
italamantes@b4church.org