We’re going to finish verse 1 today!
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide (remain stable and fixed) under the shadow of the Almighty (Whose power no foe can withstand).”
So far we’ve “mined” the he, the who, dwells, in, the secret place and abide. We’re making progress. Today we’re going to dig for the nuggets in the One Who IS the secret place…the Most High…the Almighty.
In Psalm 91, there are 3 titles used for God. Elyon is the first. Translated Most High, Elyon means highest, supreme, elevated to the highest place in rank, above and over all. There is no one higher and no place above Him. He reigns supreme over all. Since He is supreme, there is no better, higher place than in Him. When we dwell in Him, in the secret place of the Most High, we are in a hidden, protective, secret, defensive covering—a place where we are safe from any thing or any one who would try to do us harm in any way. God, Most High, is the strong and powerful One with total supremacy over everything in heaven and earth. He is the Supreme Ruler, lifted up above all else. He is God of the highest regions of rank. It doesn’t get any more plain than that!
El Shaddai is the second of the 3 titles for God in Psalm 91. Translated Almighty, El Shaddai, means all powerful, most powerful, great, strong, everlasting mighty unconquerable, all sufficient God Who is eternally capable of being all that His people need.
Our Father—Daddy, Papa—is not only the Supreme, All Powerful Ruler, He is also All Sufficient and provides everything we need—including our protection.
Now…let’s look at the word shadow to complete our word study for verse 1. Shadow simply means shade, which implies protection, defense and a safe refuge from glowing heat. Can you picture a scene where someone is lost in a desert with the sun beating down relentlessly with no water and no where to go from the heat? Any little bit of shade would be a welcome relief, but there’s nothing to make a shadow…no shade.
The all powerful, all sufficient God has a shadow. But unlike yours or mine, His shadow provides the shade we need; a safe refuge of protection that is never ending. Because God is eternal, there is no end to His shadow. It encompasses and covers you completely no matter where you are or where you go. In every situation, especially when the “heat” is on, our all powerful, all sufficient God provides protection, relief and refreshing.
Here’s my recap of verse 1: Whoever accepts the invitation to make their permanent eternal home in God AND continues in fellowship with Him, will live and remain, continually in rest, completely submerged in the hidden, protected, covered place of the One Who is the highest and supreme over all, and under the unlimited, defensive, safe refuge of the God Who is all sufficient, all powerful, and always and forever capable of being all that we need…in Who’s power no foe can withstand.
Why would anyone refuse the invitation to live there? There’s no better, more safe place to live than in God and under His protection!
“You are my hiding place, Lord, from every storm of life. You even keep me from getting into trouble.” Psalm 32:7
“But let all those who take refuge and put their trust in You rejoice; let them ever sing and shout for joy, because You make a covering over them and defend them..Psalm 5:11
Another favorite verse that speaks of God encompassing and protecting our lives is Psalm 121:5, 7-8. Here the word keep literally means to surround or patrol, protect and preserve. I’m going to substitute the meaning in the verse for you:
“The Lord is your keeper: the Lord is your shade on your right hand. The Lord will keep you from all evil: He will patrol, protect and preserve your life. The Lord will patrol, protect and preserve your going gout and your coming in from this time forth and even for evermore.”
“The Lord encompasses us like a fortress with His protection. He encircles us with His power so that when our enemies try to surround us, they find we’ve already been surrounded. They can’t get to us because God already has us covered all the way around.” (another Gloria Copeland quote)
Jesus told us that as long as we lived in this world we would have tribulation–pressure, affliction, distress, persecution. In other words, we’re gonna face some stuff. The storms of life will come to everyone…no exception. I don’t care how good a person’s life looks, they’ve either had a storm or 2 or more to weather or there’s one ahead. But the good news is that Jesus said He’s overcome the world for us and made us overcomers. He has deprived this world of the power to harm us and conquered it for us–IF we live in Him! (see John 16:33)
The Eternal God is your refuge and underneath are the everlasting arms… Deuteronomy 33:27
It matters where we live.
To be continued…until then…peace to you and your family.
