You can find out a lot about someone just by reading his letters. But there is a certain level of friendship that can only be developed through many hours of face-to-face, personal contact. The same is true of a relationship with God.

If all you ever do is read God's letters (the Bible), you will never truly know Him in the depth and detail of a true friend. It is only in the prayer closet that you will discover God's personality, His character, His methods, and His love.

Nowhere else can you plumb the depths of your father's mercy or explore the riches of His wisdom. Through the Bible you can know God as Savior, Lord, King, and Deliverer. But only through prayer can you truly know Him as Friend.

In Psalm 103 we're told, "God made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel." (v. 7) This describes two different levels of relationship with God.

The children of Israel knew about God. They knew what He had done. But Moses knew God's ways.

How did Moses develop this deeper knowledge of God? He developed it by spending time with Him:

And the Lord spake unto Moses face to face as a man speaketh unto a friend.
(Ex. 33:11)

In Old Testament times, this level of access to God was limited to prophets on mountaintops and priests in the Holy of Holies. But now every believer can know God in this extraordinary way - just as Moses did.

Therefore, brethren, since we have full freedom and confidence to enter into the Holy of Holies, let us all come forward and draw near with (honest and sincere) hearts in unqualified assurance and absolute conviction engendered by faith, having our hearts sprinkled and purified from a guilty (evil) conscience and our bodies cleansed with pure water.
(Heb. 10:19-22 AMP)

You have been granted unlimited, personal access to the Creator of the Universe. Even more mind-boggling is the knowledge that He desires your company. He wants you to know Him as intimate friend.

If God's offer of friendship and communion is so wonderful and free, why do so few Christians ever move into this level of relationship? I believe the answer is that most believers give up in discouragement before they ever get a taste of it.

Many new Christians hear about the joys of experiencing God in a quiet time and want to get in on it. With high hopes, they start having a regular time of Bible study and prayer. But when they don't experience fireworks, a cloud of glory or an audible voice from heaven right away, they simply quit in frustration.

The truth is, it takes perseverance, patience, and consistency to develop an intimate walk with God. And while there are exceptions, for most of us it is very much a journey of faith in the early stages.

When my wife Lynne and I first started walking wholeheartedly with the Lord, I would get discouraged when I compared my devotional life with hers. Here I was, striving and straining to get the Word and press into God's presence, yet coming away with absolutely no sense of fellowship with God.

Lynne, on the other hand, seemed to be able to simply close her eyes and be transported into a glorious rendezvous with Heaven.

I would wonder at times if there was something wrong with me. Still, I continued to press into God's presence though I got no discernible results. Then one morning, I awakened to find my room filled with the presence and glory of the Lord. At that moment, He was more real to me than my wife lying beside me.

You, too, will experience a breakthrough in this area if you don't grow weary in well doing. Stay in the Word of God. Stay constant in prayer. It may take weeks, months, or even years, but you will achieve a breakthrough if you will stay with it.

The day will come when the accumulated force of all your prayer and praise will propel you into an entirely new dimension in your relationship with God. It will be that proverbial "quantum leap" forward.

Sadly, the vast majority of believers quit before they ever reach that glorious point. This is doubly tragic because it's the very point at which you're ready to start learning to abide in the Secret Place.

To do so, you simply practice the presence of God on a moment-by-moment basis. The result? You go through your day in constant communion with Him.

That doesn't mean you walk around in some kind of spiritual daze. In reality, you're sharper, more discerning, and more sensitive to what's going on around you than ever before.

It's just that you now are so connected to the Spirit and His voice that you are able to hear His promptings, warnings, and instructions. It is truly a wonderful way to live.

This is also where you really begin to be able to put away the old desires of your fleshly nature. Jesus-in-you becomes such a solid reality to you, it changes what you do and say.

You'll think, "How could I possibly take Jesus with me into that sinful situation?" You'll cringe at the thought of uttering a word that would bring dishonor to Him.

As your actions change, the "old man" of the flesh begins passing away and the "newness of life" that is yours in Christ begins to emerge. Just don't get the cart before the horse.

Before you begin trying to implement every principle and guideline you see in the Word, you must first have developed a vital, tangible relationship with Jesus Christ. I'm talking about a relationship that is more intimate than your most intimate human relationship. Then and only then, are you ready to start implementing all the things you see in God's Word.

Do you want to abide in the Secret Place? Do you want to experience the kind of supernatural protection from evil that Moses described so vividly in Psalm 91? Then purpose in your heart to spend time in the Word, in prayer, and in praise.

Follow through with consistency and patience. Take these steps and before you know it, you'll not only call the Lord "God," you'll also call Him "friend." When that becomes a daily reality in your life, you'll be living in a realm where no evil can enter - the Secret Place of the Most High.

Source: Living Safely in a Dangerous World by Mac Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Mac Hammond Ministries