God Who Sees in Secret

In Matthew 6, Jesus was teaching His disciples about two of the more visible aspects of our Christian lives: giving and prayer. I know this is a longer passage than I usually type out, but read it, and look for what Jesus says should be a characteristic of our walk with Him.

“Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven. Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth: That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret Himself shall reward thee openly.

And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.” (vv.1-6)

How do you know who the people closest to you are? When you are willing to share your secrets. Jesus is pointing out that our relationship with God is not to be primarily public, but private.

We are to give in secret, so our heart’s motive is the pleasing of God, not the praise of man. We are to pray in secret for much the same reason, and these two “secret” things together give us a glimpse of where our focus should be: on the God who sees in secret.

There is a statement in Deuteronomy 29:29 that comes to mind when I think of God seeing in secret:

“The secret things belong unto the Lord our God”

Of course, this verse goes on to point out that the things revealed belong to us, in order that we may obey God, but the truth that God is the one to whom all secrets belong can be applied both ways. There are things that God has revealed so we can obey Him, and there are also secret things that belong only to Him.

In our relationship with God, there should likewise be “secret” things that belong only to Him. After all, there is nothing He does not know already, so it is safe to tell Him all our secret joys, sorrows, frustrations, and discouragements.

Of course, God also knows all about our sins:

“Thou hast set our iniquities before Thee, our secret sins in the light of Thy countenance.” (Psalm 90:8)

There is no hiding anything from God, and we do need to make sure any unconfessed sin is laid openly before Him, for,

“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” Psalm 66:18

Once our sin is confessed, forgiven, the truth that God sees and knows all becomes refreshing, rather than terrifying. It becomes a source of comfort, because we now have Someone to go to and talk about anything.—But do we?

The opportunity to talk to have “secrets” with God is something I, for one, am all to prone to overlook. As soon as an idea or problem pops up, my first instinct is to carry it to my friends or family—or anyone who happens to be nearby. But what if we took those ideas and problems to God first?

The day I asked God what He wanted me to do with this life He’s given me, and He made it clear that this blog was the first step, (one I never would have dreamed would lead to writing books!) I surrendered my heart and life as an open book, to be shared whenever, and with whomever God wanted. And if you have read very many of my posts here on Learning Ladyhood, you know that most of what I right is essentially what God is currently teaching me or has taught me in the past.

But there are some lessons God chooses to keep from the public view. There is one in particular that I have tried to share here several times over the years, but it’s as if God has drawn a curtain over that part of my heart, to be kept just between Him and me.

Sometimes these “secrets” are burdens or trials, sometimes it’s health or a heart broken over some loved one. We cannot always tell even our closest friends about everything that that we go through in life, but God already knows about it, and He cares! After all, we are told to,

“Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon Him; for He careth for you.” (1 Peter 5:7)

But there are also times when the presence of God is so real, and feels so near, that the comfort or joy or truth He reveals in Scripture seems just too precious to share.

Whether praying in secret—just talking to the One who knows all and still cares—or giving in such a way that only you and the Lord know about it, both are opportunities for the greatest joy and delight in our walk with God.

God reminded me this week of a time when He had been especially near, and it brought all the comfort and joy of that experience back again, while reminding me that He hasn’t moved—but I needed to be reminded to draw near again as I had that day.

What “secrets” do you share with God? What “secret” things do you need to surrender to Him, to be kept just between the two of you? Find time to be still before Him in secret, and talk to Him about whatever comes to mind—and then rejoice in the truth that your Father sees in secret!

“Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore.” Psalm 16:11