The Secret of the Lord
14 The friendship of the Lord is for those who fear him, Psalm 25:14 ESV
14 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear him; Psalm 25:14 JKV
14 The Lord confides in those who fear him; Psalm 25:14 NIV
What is the sign of a friend? That he tells you secret sorrows? No, that he tells you secret joys. Many will confide to you their secret sorrows, but the last mark of intimacy is to confide secret joys. Have we ever let God tell us any of His joys, or are we telling God our secrets so continually that we leave no room for Him to talk to us? At the beginning of our Christian life we are full of requests to God, then we find that God wants to get us into relationship with Himself, to get us in touch with His purposes. Are we so wedded to Jesus Christ’s idea of prayer—“Thy will be done” —that we catch the secrets of God? The things that make God dear to us are not so much His great big blessings as the tiny things, because they show His amazing intimacy with us; He knows every detail of our individual lives.
Chambers, Oswald (2011-05-01). My Utmost for His Highest, Classic Edition (pp. 112-113). Discovery House Publishers. Kindle Edition.
I find the word choice in of the three translations above interesting: "friendship", "secret", or "confides in".
While the ESV eludes to a friendship with God, which is an awe-inspiring thought, the KJV and NIV translations describe a relathionship that goes beyond merely friendship. They describe a relationship that is intimate and close.
God tells His children secrets. He confides in them. There is a level of trust and intimacy present that transcends friendship. God is our BFF. Our bestie. Our ace buddy. He is not only there to listen, but to also share secrets and wonders with us. He wants a relationship that is stronger and deeper than Savior and Saved.
Although the translations of today's verse differ at the beginning, there is one constant. This best friend relationship, this intimate walk with God is reserved for "those who fear him". That speaks of a relationship that goes beyond merely Christianity. There are multitudes of people whose names are written in the Lamb's Book of Life that are not experiencing this best friend relationship with God. The secret-sharing, confidant relationship with God is not a given. Many children are estranged from their fathers just as many Believers are estranged from their heavenly Father. It begins with a fear of the Lord. An awe-inspiring respect. A realization that without Him, we are nothing, can do nothing, and offer nothing of value to those around us.
It is a dangerous to allow the mindset to develop which causes one to believe that the fire-insurance relationship with God is as good as it gets. There are levels of closeness with God that few of us will ever achieve, but the daily deepening of our relationship with God should still be our constant goal.
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