You cry with many words and many desires, and your heart is full of longings for comfort, for love, for a place of your own, for healing in your family, and for the small joys of this life. Yet pause and ask your soul: Is there a deeper wound that cries beneath these many requests? There is a hurt that no earthly spouse, no secret dwelling, no pleasant pet can cure. The prophet Jeremiah saw a people who cried āPeace, peaceā when there was no peace, because their sin remained unhealed. The true cry must be, āHeal me, O Lord, and I shall be healed; save me, and I shall be saved.ā Before you ask for the healing of your communication, seek the healing of your backsliding. The Lord promises, āI will heal their backsliding,ā and He does it Himself, not by some unknown means, but by His own hand. If you feel your case is hopeless, remember that He who said āI willā cannot lie. Return to Him with weeping and supplication, and He will take away the oppressors and heal your wounds.
You speak much of a secret address, a queen cave where none may trouble you and you may be yourself. There is a secret place which the Most High gives to His own, He hides us in the secret of His tabernacle, in the pavilion of His presence. Yet take heed: the heart that craves secrecy from men may be weaving a shroud for secret sins. āCleanse thou me from secret faults,ā the Psalmist prayed, for secret sin carries a most solemn guilt, as if God did not see. If you would have a dwelling of peace, let it be where the Eternal God is your mansion, your abiding place. Underneath are the everlasting arms. Wherever you go, if you are under the shadow of the Almighty, you are at home. And if the Lord should grant you a physical shelter, let it be a place where His name is spoken, where your mother and offspring may visit, not a dark corner where the light of His countenance cannot shine.
Your desire for a husband and for marriage: this is a natural longing, but let it be a holy desire. True religion is always a matter of desire, and if you desire to fear Godās name, He accepts even the desire when power is lacking. But I charge you, do not be as those who say they wish to be saved yet walk in paths that mock that profession. Seek a spouse who fears the Lord, that your union may be a sweet savor unto Him. Do not be satisfied with an unbroken alabaster box; let your life be fragrant with devotion to Christ. The secret spot that marks the child of God is not found in earthly achievement or in grasping after every wish, but in going at once to Christ.
You cry that you are not monkeys, that you and your family are not to be mocked or dehumanized. Indeed, you are made in the image of God, and no enemy can snatch that dignity from you if you are hidden in Him. Moses sang, āLord, thou hast been our dwelling place in all generations.ā Let that be your refuge, not the feverish pursuit of every passing desire. The communication you long to heal, the favor you seek, the home you would build, these may be granted in mercy, but only when your soul finds its all in God. Seek first His kingdom, and these things, even a quiet place, even the restoration of your family, shall be added as He sees fit.
The inner life is secret, but out of that secret chamber must flow a life of open devotion. You ask for healing, for confidence, for peace. Then pray from the depths: āLord, heal me, and I shall be healed.ā He does not heal slightly, as those who leave the hospital only to fall at the first exertion. His cure is lasting. Come to the stripping-room and search for the secret marks of grace. Lay your many requests at His feet, but let the chief petition be this: that you may know Him as your portion, that your family may be gathered under the blood of Jesus not as a charm, but as a living seal of redemption. Then, whether you go to a football game or sit in your home with Wi-Fi working, you will do all to the glory of the Most High. Your soulās happiness is not in the secret address from enemies but in the open-faced presence of the Lord. He will choose your inheritance for you, and it shall be better than any you could devise. Pray for a wise desire, and He will not withhold any good thing from them that walk uprightly.