God,I have a secret...

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts; 

you teach me wisdom in the inmost place..."

- Psalm 51:6 - 

I stumbled across this verse while I was praying with Psalm 51 this morning. It really struck me in a way that it never had before.

"Surely you desire truth in the inner parts..."

God wants to know our deepest secrets. And He wants the truth. Actually, He doesn't just want it, He desires it. There's a difference between want and desire. A difference, perhaps not so much in a dictionary definition, but more in the way I interpret the words in my head.

Want denotes a God who demands. Desire gives me a picture of God asking for, wishing for, me to confide the deepest, most intimate secrets in my heart.

God desires to know.

I may argue that He already knows my secrets, my problems, my worries that I bury deep and hide from the world. After all, God sees into my inmost parts. My heart and my soul. He sees the things I don't even want to admit to myself. So if He knows, why does He need me to tell Him?

The answer is simple, really.

When I tell a friend a secret, it creates a bond between us. We both have the knowledge. Dividing it in half, so to speak. I've always found it a relief to unburden a deep, dark secret to a friend. It makes the burden less, the emotions less, and, in certain cases, the humiliation becomes less as well.

Sharing a secret with God creates the same bond. Tell God the most intimate secrets of your life. It may be hard, you may feel foolish, you might not even be able to get the words out at first, but tell Him anyway. He wants you to have the confidence to share everything in your heart. Just because He already knows doesn't mean He won't listen or doesn't want to hear.

He desires truth.

Secrets.

The inmost things.

He says: "Come unto me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light." (Matthew 11:28-30)

He is gentle and humble in heart...

He won't hold your secrets over your head. Constantly reminding you of the failure you've admitted to Him, the fear you've confided in Him, the worries you can't seem to shake.

Instead, He'll take the burden of those secrets and give you instead His burden - which is light. Joy, peace, love, forgiveness, humility. And you'll realize more and more that He is able to understand your struggles. And that He is more than able to help you overcome them. Problems don't get solved by pushing them out; shoving them away in dark corners and never alluding to them. Problems are solved when you confess, with truth and repentance, that you have them and that you don't want to hold onto them anymore.

Telling God your inmost secrets enables Him to help you overcome the fear, embarrassment, worry, ect. that accompanies them. When you lay it out between you, leaving every detail in the broad openness where you both can see it, resisting the urge to hide it back again, and keeping it at the foreground of your mind, God will have infinite opportunities to give you peace. To show you things in His word that you never realized. To comfort you when the enormity of it gets overwhelming.

It opens up opportunities for Him to just be there.

To hold you, help you, and comfort you.

Don't hide these things away. Putting them out in the open, whispering them to your Savior with honesty and candor - this leads to blessing and to a greater understanding and intimacy with your Father in Heaven. 

For His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

'Till next time,