Over the last several months, I have found myself regularly reading through the Gospels. They have been so sweet and refreshing for me to soak in the life that Jesus lived. One thing that particularly stood out to me was how much of Jesus’ ministry was performed in the hidden places. Was Jesus often surrounded by crowds of people? Yes, but so much of what He said and did was in small groups of people. He worked in living rooms, He spoke on the road as He went from place to place, He specialized in one-on-one conversations with individuals. So much of what we know about Jesus I believe He revealed in the hidden places of life. That honestly makes no sense to me. Why in the world would He choose to teach some of the most profound things to only a small group of people? Think about it, all the personal conversations with the disciples, Nicodemus, the woman at the well, His dinner with Zacchaeus, etc.. If you sat and thought through all the settings of Jesus’ ministry and the people that were present and engaged with what He was saying, I think you would be surprised at how often He taught in the hidden places.
It is so easy to get wrapped up in the large crowds, the big stages, the trendy social media posts and totally miss an extremely large portion of ministry the Lord has for us. Ministry that is only found in the hidden places of our lives. The places only a few people see, the places that aren’t extraordinary but instead extremely ordinary. The places that are not very exciting but are actually very mundane. Jesus used every ounce of His life to bring the Kingdom of God on Earth, and I believe we are called to do the same!
We are not to only chase the big crowds and large accolades but to humbly use every part of who we are and the time we have to make Jesus known and bring his Kingdom here on earth.
See Our Hidden Places as Sacred
Where are the hidden places for you? Is it your mind, your emotions, the deepest parts of who you are, your home, your closest relationships? These places are so sacred to the Lord. These are often the places that I am first tempted to long for the goodness of God.
Here’s the truth: My mind is so quick to get distracted with worthless things.
My emotions are always trying to make little things larger than they actually are. I become complacent and begin to just go about my everyday life unaware of God wanting to speak in the hidden places. Yet, I believe it is in these places that we must be the most diligent to walk closely with Jesus. It is in these places that we learn to center our hearts around the heart of God. I believe that God wants to teach us the deeper parts of who He is in these places. Be diligent to guard and protect these places in your life! Allow God to mold and refine you in these places. Allow these places to serve as a tool to focus you back to the heart of the Father through scripture reading, prayer, and fellowship.
See Every Moment As Divine
I don’t know about you but my day is FULL of mundane things (waking up, doing chores, going to meetings, drinking coffee, eating, planning, going to sleep). As I pass through my day I intersect with people. I can easily miss what God has in store for that day if I just see each day as average. Jesus didn’t live that way. He saw every moment that was given to Him as divine. Each moment was to be used by God in whatever way He saw fit.
How dramatically would our days change if we lived like that? If we saw every moment as purposeful and valuable. God wants to use the mundane moments of our lives. He wants to use us at the grocery store, while we are doing the dishes, and eating dinner. Jesus saw these ordinary moments as opportunities to be used for bringing about the Kingdom on Earth. I will be the first to admit that I often only go through the motions, and sadly I believe we are missing out on some of the most profound moments of ministry that the Lord has for us. John 15:5 says that “we can do nothing apart from God.”
Isn’t it crazy how busy we can be doing nothing? Let us take hold of every moment that we are given and begin to see it as divine.
See Every Person With A Purpose
Who are all the people that you see in your day, throughout your week? Do you see your interactions with them as purposeful? I believe Jesus was ready to speak whatever the Father wanted to every single person He came in contact with. I don’t believe that this is a far-out idea. I think it is easy for us to be this intentional with our interactions with others, especially when we are preparing ourselves to hear from God. When we have discipleship conversations with students, we are ready to model the same intentionality as Jesus. Yet, this isn’t always the case. What about when this isn’t the expectation? Do we see our interactions with the cashier, the waitress, the person standing in line behind us, the family at the park as having purpose?
Our job is to have eyes that are looking for Kingdom opportunities that are constantly placed in our everyday life.
Every person is placed in our life on purpose. Can we choose to see the mundane people in our lives as people with God-given value, and not just a part of the blur of our own hustle? I desire for us to not be too busy with our own agendas that we miss out on some of the sweetest ministries God has for us in our everyday life.
See Everything You Own As A Tool
Your home, your car, your kids, your time, your food, your money. Literally everything. Are you willing to allow it to be used by God for His Kingdom to come here on earth?
This has been an extremely maturing process for my husband and me. To allow God to use everything that we own has forced us to trust the Lord more deeply. We’re learning to trust the Lord in our giving, not just financially, but socially. I believe God asks all leaders to use everything given to them for the sake of the Kingdom. This often plays out in the hidden places. The cool part is we can trust the Lord in this. Does this sometimes require dying to self? Absolutely! Is it easy? Not ever! Is it worth it? Every time.
I truly believe that some of the sweetest treasures of ministry will be found in the hidden places. So much of the ministry Jesus did was in the hidden places of his life. Some of the most profound things that we know about our faith have been revealed in those places. Let us not miss out on the depth of what God has for us in this life because we are so focused on the large crowds, big stages, flashy lights, and trendy social media. We must live out our devotion to the Father in the hidden places.
