Sunset Secrets

One of my favorite things is the sunset. At home, I always go outside and just watch. It’s my get-away, my safe place, my moment with God. This last time was no different. I stepped outside and onto the back porch...only to find my 13 year old sister sitting on the wooden railing with one leg dangling down and the other clutched so close that she could easily rest her chin on her knee. I’d never seen her watch the sunset before, partially because she would never sit still long enough. But nevertheless, I decided to observe her. She was so peaceful; her eyes were filled with wonder as she watched the rainbow of fire dancing before her. I guess I made a sound because she suddenly turned back and saw me staring at her. She acted startled and embarrassed, almost like she was found where she wasn’t supposed to be.

“What are you doing out here?” I inquired with a slight smile.

She looked down at the ground and answered hesitantly, “Sometimes, I just need a break and a chance to get away from everything. I like the quiet.” After a pause, she sighed and turned her gaze toward the sunset as she continued. “God meets me out here, Steph. I can feel His presence. He’s speaking to me and He’s so beautiful. And then I think of all the other people, seeing the same thing that I’m seeing, and I just don’t get how they can look at this and still say ‘There is no God’.”

I couldn’t bring myself to say anything. I wasn’t expecting such a wise statement from my little sister. It hit me a few days ago that my sister is daily experiencing what the entire world is in search of....the presence of God and the “secret place”. I’m not talking about a “spiritual high”, though there are those times after you’ve been in God’s presence and you just can’t operate or think clearly...but I like to call them a “Holy hangover”.

But that’s not why we desperately thirst after His presence. That’s not the reason that we seek Him. We seek Him because we desire communion and relationship with Him. We long to be in His presence. We want to hear His voice. Psalm 91:1 says “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” It’s about the secret place. It’s about completely abandoning yourself to God and allowing Him to move freely. Smith Wigglesworth said that ”there is a place where you take hold of God, but there is a better place where God takes hold of you.” Only God can take you there. The “secret place” is God’s gift to us, a place of total freedom and intimacy. It’s the only thing that makes sense.

I’ve been there. And my heart’s greatest desire is that others would experience His presence in this way. I know that it sounds trippy, but it’s not. Many experience the presence of God, but few experience the “secret place”. It says in 2 Corinthians 3:17 that “where the spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.” Some things only God can show you. There is a freedom that is yet to be known and yet to be experienced. God, I want that freedom! I want to see the world walk in intimacy with You.

“Take me to that place, Lord, to that secret place where I can be with You and You can make me like You. Wrap me in Your arms. Wrap me in Your arms. Wrap me in Your arms.”