He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High God shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. He shall deliver you from every trap set for you, and from the diseases that rage around you. He shall cover thee with his loving care, and under his everlasting arms shall you trust: his truth shall be your body shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flies by day; nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; nor for the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.
Psalm 91:1-7 (Paraphrase mine).
Where is the “secret place of the Most High God” and how do we get there? What is the shadow of the Almighty or what is it like? Is it a tangible place that one can run to in times of trouble or is it a place to dwell? The Psalmist said, “He who dwells in the secret place” so maybe one can go and stay there. He also spoke of the “shadow” of the Almighty so maybe one can be so close to God what wherever God is one can rest or be in His shadow?
He said, “I will say (proclaim) of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress.” A refuge and a fortress is the place to be when under attack by an enemy but it is not the place where one stays—or is it? One cannot gather food while in the fortress but maybe if of the LORD is our fortress perhaps He provides all we need.
David found refuge in caves but the caves were not his hiding place—the Lord was. He was at times welcomed into walled cities but the walled cities were not his fortress—the Lord was. Battles were never won while inside the refuge but on the battlefield but even in the fiercest of battles the Lord was His refuge and strength.
It is out in the field the enemy sets his traps but it also where one is delivered. It is among the sick and hurting that epidemic diseases stalk the unwary without warning but it is also where the Lord’s protection abides. The Psalmist says that God will deliver each person who trusts in the LORD.
Can we draw so close to God that we dwell in the “secret place of God?” The Psalmist wrote as though he was there or had been there. Another old song comes to mind that says, “There is a place of quiet rest, near to the heart of God. A place where sin can never molest, near to the heart of God.” I believe that there is such a place and that place is a Person and that Person is Christ Jesus. Walk and talk with Him today and welcome His presence into your life. See what will happen. You will find that “secret place.” Amen, amen and amen.
