Continuing our studies in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus said:

1 “Be careful not to practice your righteousness in front of others to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

2 “So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honoured by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 3 But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, 4 so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. (Matt 6:1-4)

I wonder if you have heard the phrase, “an audience of one”. It speaks of doing something quietly, knowing only one person can see – the Lord himself. No-one else knows about it. It is a secret between you and God.

When we are in a relationship with the Father through Jesus Christ, when we are secure in His love and our hearts are open before Him, we don’t need to seek approval from those around us. We can be content in the knowledge that God sees and that’s enough.

In two separate psalms, David talks about the Secret Place. In both cases, he is referring to being in his mother’s womb. For example, in Psalm 139 he prays,

15 My frame was not hidden from you

when I was made in the secret place,

when I was woven together in the depths of the earth.

16 Your eyes saw my unformed body; (Psalms 139:15-16)

The Lord’s eyes saw him. Can there be anything more wonderful? We started out our life in the Secret Place, where only God saw us. The psalm also describes how Lord carefully formed us and made detailed plans for our lives. Many years after David wrote the psalm, Jesus called us to continue in intimate relationship with the Father, spiritually dwelling in the Secret Place, seeking only His approval for the decisions that we make.

The word, “reward” is used three times in this passage. Some of us might have been taught that we shouldn’t do things to seek rewards, but the fact is, the Father loves to reward us. We don’t earn His rewards (He doesn’t owe us), but He does love to bless us when we do the right thing.

Those who give to the needy with an attitude of showing off, or trying to win the approval of human beings, “have received their reward in full”. The honour given by people may feel good at the time, but it won’t last forever. Describing a sports hero or an actor we sometimes hear the phrase, “you are only as good as your last performance”. Human praise is fleeting. But the Lord’s rewards are for eternity.

The Secret Place is a place in fellowship with God through faith in Jesus Christ where we are loved and where life has meaning and purpose. And the rewards found there last forever.