Dwelling in the Secret Place
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1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Dwelleth - means to remain or stay positioned.
Secret Place - means covering or shelter.
The verse speaks to positioning yourself in the shelter of God. In other words, this would be putting yourself in a place that allows God to protect you.
We spent the last couple of months reviewing the Kingdom policies as instructed by Jesus and located in Matthew 5. In these principles, God made certain promises after individuals commit to God’s mandates on how w should think, interact with another, and respond to difficult seasons of our lives.
In Matthew 5, we are introduced to how God wants us to be governed.
Govern - Influencing the actions and affairs of a group or entity.
Here in Psalm 91, the Psalmist lays out the same principles but from a different perspective.
Psalm 91 approaches the subject from trusting and depending on God at all times. This is why the scripture uses phrasing such as “dwelleth” and “abide” while talking about a place.
A fact that we can all draw is that places don’t move.
You have never seen Michigan get up from where it is located and move south in the winter to escape the snow. This would be outside of the order God has already established.
To position yourself under God, means to trust him and submit to him.
Submit - to yield to governance or authority .
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
This is a hidden place that you can’t wonder upon but you have to be diligent in searching it out.
This is why the Bible refers to this place as a “secret” or “hidden” place that has been prepared by God.
Notice the scripture references, “the shadow of the Almighty”.
To abide in someone’s shadow means you have to get close to them.
My youngest child can walk in my shadow easily. He is a child and has the heart of a child.
My oldest son can walk in my shadow also. While he is taller than I, he would have to lower himself to a place of submission.
This type of thinking is hidden to those who are lost and have not properly identified God as the head of all things.
3 But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost:
4 In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.
Your adversary’s desire is for you to remain in the dark and outside of the “Secret Place”.
Our adversary does this by blinding the minds of individuals, in other words, misleading them and making sure the thoughts that they have about the Kingdom of God are outside of the truth.
This is why Paul consistently reminded the various territories of the hidden dangers of false prophets.
If you don’t know the truth about a subject or a place, how can you ever experience the full joy of that place.
Those who are not abiding in the “secret place” have a hard time directing you there.
This is why Paul told us to beware of certain teachings that lead people astray in 1 Timothy 6.
3 If any man teach otherwise, and consent not to wholesome words, even the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and to the doctrine which is according to godliness;
4 He is proud, knowing nothing, but doting about questions and strifes of words, whereof cometh envy, strife, railings, evil surmisings,
4 is a conceited person. He shows that he doesn’t understand anything. Rather, he has an unhealthy desire to argue and quarrel about words. This produces jealousy, rivalry, cursing, suspicion,
5 Perverse disputings of men of corrupt minds, and destitute of the truth, supposing that gain is godliness: from such withdraw thyself.
Why is this dangerous?
This type of behavior leads me away from total submission to God and away from his shadow.
These are people who are desolate of the truth.
31 Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him, If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed;
32 And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.
Jesus states that truth is what makes us free.
As long as you walk in the pride of being in control of things, you also walk in bondage.
People who walk in pride will always find themselves trying to figure things out on their own.
33 They answered him, We be Abraham’s seed, and were never in bondage to any man: how sayest thou, Ye shall be made free?
The sad thing about these people in John as well as people we encounter in the church today is that they are in bondage in their own mind and don’t even know it. They are blinded to the “Secret Place”.
Jump to verse 38 to see what Jesus was speaking to with these people.
38 I speak that which I have seen with my Father: and ye do that which ye have seen with your father.
Jesus was telling the Jews that we are serving two very different fathers or masters.
Going back to Psalms 91, we can now understand what the psalmists means by “dwelling in the secret place”.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress:
My God; in him will I trust.
The “secret place” of the Most High, is a place where you have trust in the Lord for everything.
To trust in the Lord is to believe in everything he says. It is total dependence on the Lord and trust in his decisions as opposed to moving without his guidance.
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.
This is the result of not operating on your own and coming to a place of dependency on God.
God states that, “I will deliver him”.
To get here, you have to trust God even when the situation you are facing doesn’t look to have a prosperous ending.
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.
This is a one-of-a-kind experience.
God states that he will answer you, meaning that he will hear what you have to say when you pray.
God says that he will be with while you are going through your circumstances. This means that he will protect you through your trial.
God says that I will bring you out of your circumstance. You may have to be in the situation for a while, but God will comfort you and create a way of escape.
13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.
This is where God reconfirms that abiding in the secret place of the Most High has benefits that lead to salvation.
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.
God says he will put you in places of honour. This is where you don’t have to force that honour, God will provide that honour.
5 Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies:
Thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over.
Not even the enemy can stop what my God says he will do for those whom chose to abide in his “Secret Place”.
God will solidify the defeat of your enemy by preparing a table for you in front of the enemy that opposes you.
When doors close, he will open other doors that no man can close.
16 With long life will I satisfy him,
And shew him my salvation.
