For a long time, the phrase “secret place”, made me feel like I was missing something.
Have you ever heard someone describe their time with God like this? Someone stands up and shares how they were walking through a misty forest at dawn — the birds singing, the light breaking through the trees — and they were just in their secret place with God and they heard Him speak to their hearts. Or they climbed a mountain. Or they sat by a river. And it all sounded so sacred, so cinematic. Like God only shows up in settings that belong on a worship album cover.
And I’d be sitting there thinking: “That sounds so epic, I want a secret place too God! I don’t really do misty forest walks. What does that mean about me?”
I genuinely wondered if I was less spiritual. Less tuned in. Like everyone else had received a memo I’d somehow missed.
Until one day, I felt God speak something to me that changed everything.
“Ben — the awareness of My presence is the secret place. Once you’re aware, you’re there.”
That was it. No mountain. No birds. No dramatic setting required. Just awareness.
This means the secret place is not about a location. It is not about finding the right conditions, the right atmosphere, or the perfect quiet corner of the world, those are hard to come by. It’s about turning your attention toward the One who is already there — already with you, already speaking, already near.
Jesus said it plainly: “When you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” (Matthew 6:6)
The room He was describing wasn’t a physical location. It was an orientation of the heart. It was an invitation into intimacy or rather in-to-me-see. God desires to not only know us but to be known by us. When we come to God with a true heart desiring to share our lives and be vulnerable with Him, we are cultivating a lifestyle of intimacy. This private history should undergird any public ministry.
You can be in that place right now. In your car. In the middle of a hard week. On a flight between Montreal and Moncton. In a season that doesn’t look or feel particularly spiritual at all.
The moment you become truly aware that He is present — you have arrived.
He is not withholding Himself. He is not waiting for you to find the right setting or manufacture the right feeling. He is already leaning in. Already listening. Already ready to reveal Himself to anyone who simply becomes aware.
“I want to speak to you. I want to know your heart. I’m listening for every word. And I will reveal myself.”
God does not play hard to get. He doesn’t hide behind layers of spiritual performance you have to unlock. God is actively oriented toward you. He is fully devoted, available and accessible as a loving Father to you.
And when you do turn your attention there, this is who you find:
Love. Peace. Joy. Endless mercy. Promises that are true. A heart that is devoted to you.
These are not things He gives when He feels the conditions are right. God is constant and these are attributes of who He is, all the time, whether you feel them or not.
The secret place is not reserved for mystics and mountain climbers. It is not the reward for people who have their quiet times sorted and their prayer life together, because who really has that? It is available to every person who pauses long enough to say: “Here I am God, I know You are too”.
Because He is. He always has been.
And the moment that lands in your heart — the moment awareness breaks through — you’ll realize you were never as far from Him as you felt. You were just learning to recognize where you already were.
Knowing the secret place is about awareness, not atmosphere, is so freeing. But we can still be intentional about cultivating awareness. Here are three practical ways to posture yourself toward it.
You don’t need to manufacture a feeling or wait for the perfect quiet moment. Simply stop — wherever you are — and say it out loud or in your heart: “God I know you are here”. That single acknowledgement is the door. Not a long prayer, not a ritual. Just a turning of attention toward the One who has been present all along.
The secret place isn’t only accessed in long quiet times — it’s something you can step into moment by moment. I do this in a crowded room, at Starbucks or any social event even. Throughout your day, try short, simple prayers: “Thank You for being here.” “I’m aware of You right now.” “Speak to me, I’m listening.” These small, repeated acknowledgements of His presence train you to live in constant awareness. Over time, what starts as a habit will become a natural way of operating with God daily.
Sometimes we need something outside ourselves to bring us back. Find a verse that speaks of His nearness and return to it often. Psalm 139:7 — “Where can I go from Your Spirit?” Jeremiah 23:23 — “Am I not a God who is near?” Even Matthew 6:6 itself. Read it slowly. Let it remind you that the Father isn’t distant — He is already in the room, already turned toward you. Scripture isn’t just information; it’s an invitation back into awareness.
The invitation is still standing.
Meet me in the secret place.
This piece was written alongside a song called “Meet Me,” first written in 2016 when this revelation came. It’s simple, almost bare — because the truth it carries is simple. I’ll be performing it for subscribers soon.