God's Open Secret

A Muddy Bootprint for April 1, 2025

"The Christian, like a net, must have both the lead of a godly fear and the cork of a lively faith. The height of God must lay man low." ~George Swinnock, 1700

God doesn’t share His secrets with strangers. He doesn’t randomly reveal His thoughts.

God reveals His secrets when He recognizes me as His friend. He regards me as a son when I revere Him. He treats me like family when I fear Him. Fear is actually God’s open secret. It’s the key that unlocks the door to His throne room, but few ever unlock it.

Fear comes from love. I fear people who can take what I want or need. I’m afraid of forces that can keep me from having things. It’s self-love that makes me fear. By itself, that’s not a bad thing. But it’s bad when I love myself at God’s expense, when I fear for myself more than I fear Him.

Godly fear is more afraid of losing God’s favor than of losing things.

God draws close when I devote myself to loving Him. He comes near as I come to know Him. God whispers His counsel as I worship Him. He shares His secrets as I learn to fear Him.

A foolish heart never fears God. A hard heart never hears Him. A selfish heart will never know God’s counsel: it will always be off-course.

Attack Point: A heart that fears God has faith in Him. Ask God for faith to hear His secrets.

Orienting Your Map:

[Key Verse: Psalm 25:14; Also: Genesis 18:17-19, 22:12, 41:39; Exodus 33:13; Job 1:8, 2:3, 29:4, 42:4; Psalm 5:7, 16:11, 25:4, 39:4, 51:6, 111:10, 143:8; Proverbs 1:7, 23, 3:32, 9:10, 14:27, 15:33, 22:19; Ecclesiastes 3:14; Isaiah 11:2; Jeremiah 16:21, 32:40; Amos 3:7; Matthew 10:28, 11:25, 13:11-12; John 7:17, 14:23, 26, 15:15, 16:7-11; 1 Corinthians 2:14, 16; 2 Corinthians 3:13-15, 4:3; Ephesians 1:9, 18; Hebrews 12:28-29; 1 John 1:3, 2:20, 27; Revelation 2:17]

That is all.

Carry On. 😉