Dwelling in the Secret Place (Rewritten)
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;
10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.
14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Pslam 91
This Psalm, who we believe was written by David, really speaks to the essence of true Christian living and more importantly having a true relationship with God, the Father, through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The idea of dwelling not only conjures up a place to lodge. It speaks to the thought of home; a place of comfort; a place of warmth and familiarity; a place that it safe and secure. Dwelling in the secret place, therefore enhances that thought of a safe, secure, warm and comfortable place that is made just for us, individually. What a place! God has created that specific place for each and everyone of us … if we choose to abide in that location.
William O. Cushing wrote a song that explains it like this:
Under his wings I am safely abiding.
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust him; I know he will keep me.
He has redeemed me and I am his child.
Under his wings, under his wings,
Who from his love can sever?
Under his wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.
The imagery in this song is liken unto a hen protecting her chicks. She is constantly on the look-out for those that she birthed. They in turn know that if danger comes, they can always run to her for protection. Therein lies the secret to the secret place – Trust. We now that God, himself, the one who birthed us is constantly looking to protect those that are his children. We have that assurance and therefore we can trust in Him and His ability to protect us no matter what the danger may be. There are two distinct voices in the psalm, and each speaks to the trusting believer in the Lord. The first voice assures the faithfulness of God’s protection (vv. 1-13). The second voice is that of the Lord Himself who likewise pledges His watch-care (vv. 14-16).
Where is the Secret Place?
But how do we dwell in that secret place? Jesus gave the answer during his sermon on the mount (Matthew 6: 1-23). It is here where Jesus teaches his Disciples, and all those who were listening, the true meaning of dwelling within the “secret place of the most High.” He starts with secret giving. Then He teaches on secret prayer. He goes on to talk about secret fasting and ends with where to lay our treasures up. The consistency of dwelling in the secret place of the most high is in our giving, prayer, and fasting out of a heart that is not vested in this world; rather it is vested in heaven.
The devil fights us mostly in these areas of christian living. How often do we neglect prayer and fasting? Do we take the opportunities to give like we should or is there always an excuse for not giving? How much does the effects of this world and the busy day-to-day steal our time away from the One who wants to dwell within us? Even when we have the time, do we settle our hearts and minds enough to focus on these secret “places?” The scripture tells us that the enemy’s job is to “steal, kill and destroy.” He doesn’t have to do that by drumming up some great event or issue that may come into our lives. He oftentimes does it through a little neglect; a little apathy; a little carelessness or just plain lack of discipline. In reality these things show a lack of trust; not on God’s part but on our own. It also shows a lack of love.
The Enemy’s Secret Place
Just as God has a secret place for us to dwell in. The devil too has a place that he desires us to dwell instead. Sin is the abode of the devil and that is the place that he tries to “hide” all mankind from a loving and caring Father. Why do you think most sin is committed in secret and under the cloak of darkness? In our day and time, satan has tried to make sin “mainstream” by attaching the label “adult” to sinful activities. The world speaks of adult entertainment; adult beverages; adult humor and adult activities. This “activity” is oftentimes best carried out during the nighttime hours or “in the dark.” Many a man and/or woman have been drawn to sin under this cloak with devastating consequences.
The devil even tried to get Jesus to dwell in his secret place during his temptation in the wilderness (Matthew 4: 1-11). Imagine, in your mind, what was taking place. Jesus had fasted for forty days and forty nights. Therefore, He was in a weakened state. He was alone and in a wilderness. Have you ever been in a physical wilderness by yourself? I imagine it was a dark place with potential dangers at every side. It was also a very lonely place when the devil entered the scene. His whole objective was not only to get Jesus to sin but also to provide a place away from the Father; much like Adam and Eve when they sinned in the garden. A place of shame and secrecy where the enemy would dwell.
How many times when we, as a people, have committed sin that we dwell in that same place of shame and secrecy. If we are honest, it is a place that we don’t want anyone to know about. Sin by its very nature is shameful. That is why Adam and Eve tried to make clothing out of fig leaves. They were trying to cover their shame. Solomon said it this way:
He that covereth his sins shall not prosper:
But whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy.
Proverbs 28: 13
Thankfully, Jesus overcame the devil, in the wilderness, by the word of God. His victory paved the way for our victory.
Building a New Dwelling
Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed way; behold, all things are become new.
2 Corinthians 5: 17
We do not have to dwell in the devil’s old house. As Christians, its not a matter of “historic preservation.” We are not supposed to renovate that old house. Our job is to tear it down so that a new house can be built. Our old heart must be replaced with a new heart. When we confess and forsake our sins, the demolition process begins. However, with any good demolition project, its not enough to remove the structure of the house. We must remove the entire structure and foundation! How often do we try to remove the outward signs of sin without removing the root of sin. One can stop smoking and drinking. However, the real victory comes when that same person gets rid of the heart condition that led to the smoking and drinking to begin with. It’s great when a thief stops stealing. But the real victory comes when the deception and lying is removed from their heart. It’s the same with all sin. Whether it be those sins that were mentioned above or other’s that have not been named, unless the foundation or root is removed then the potential for building on that same rotten foundation still exists. Lust, pride, deceitfulness, lying, etc. are all the below grade “sins” that people build upon to produce the many works of the flesh that become outward manifestations of those same foundations. In order to obtain true victory, the entire structure including foundation must be removed, never to be used for building again.
… If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.
John 14: 23
To dwell in the secret place of the most High means to put our entire faith, trust and confidence in Him. It means that we love Him because He first loved us. It means that no matter what the problem or circumstance, we believe that He will supply the need. The Father and the Son will dwell with us and in us if we make our abode with Jesus Christ. In the midst of trouble, He will be there! When the noisome pestilence (pandemic) comes, it does not take Him by surprise! Fear and terror may come, His wings provide safety and shelter! Wars and rumors of wars may be on the horizon, yet He has already won the battle! And even if we perish, it will not be because of any of those things. Our battle will be finished. We have the confidence that his timing is perfect!
The secret place of the most high is the safest and most comforting place to abide. Let us strive to enter into that place!
JEFF
Very nice devotional today. I was blessed by it!
Thank the Lord, Todd. May God give you peace during this time of uncertainty. I’ve had to learn to rely on the secret place of God more now … and I am thankful for that understanding. I pray that, Lord willing, when we get on the other side of these challenging times that I maintain the lesson learned.