The Lock of Worship and the Secret Place

Ruth Haley Barton once described retreat as “entering the lock.” Like a boat on a canal, you pull into the lock at one level. The gates close, the water rises, and you’re lifted to a new height you could never reach on your own.

This image doesn’t just apply to retreat — it’s also a picture of the secret place of worship.

When we draw away to be alone with God — when we enter His presence in prayer, song, or silence — we step into the lock. We arrive at one level: tired, distracted, maybe even dry. But in the stillness, God closes the gates around our restless soul. His Spirit begins to raise the waters. Slowly, steadily, we are lifted into greater trust, intimacy, and awe.

Here’s the hard truth: if we never enter the lock in the secret place, we will always lead from the lower level. We can’t carry our congregations higher than we ourselves have been willing to go with Him.

This is why private worship is not optional for leaders. It is where the Spirit stretches our vocabulary of awe. It is where we encounter fresh facets of God’s character. It is where our hearts are softened, humbled, lifted.

And when we’ve been raised in the lock of the secret place, we step onto the platform differently. Our worship leading no longer leans on performance or polish. We carry an unseen depth — the weight of having been with Him.

So the question is not just how well you prepare your setlist, but how faithfully you’ve entered the lock. Only there can the waters rise. Only there can you be lifted, so that when you stand before your people, you lead from the higher ground of God’s presence.