The Secret Place

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High 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 I will trust,” Psalm 91:1-2, NKJV.

Focal Scripture: Psalm 91

This Psalm speaks directly to those who trust in the Lord. And I believe it also speaks to those who need to trust in the Lord; those who may have been searching for a way out of their situations and circumstances, but too afraid to admit that they need help.

Psalm 91 opens with an affirmation of faith: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” The word dwells means to live in, reside in, or stay in. It describes a place that you would rest in, a place that is synonymous with home. And for the writer to go directly from dwell to secret place prompts the reader to think of a place of safety, especially when the word refuge and fortress is used to describe God. My husband was in the military twenty years of his life and I’m sure there have been times when either he or fellow soldiers had to retreat to military bunkers or bomb shelters. Those shelters or bunkers provided safety from the outside chaos. This is what it is like when resting in God.

This particular Psalm goes on to describe how God is worthy to be trusted. There are references made of how He delivers and protects: “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler[a] and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday,” verses 3-6.

The way God protects is not true with any other being. God is the only One who can deliver and protect the way that He does. As human beings we may have good intentions, but our strength is limited. God is omnipotent. There may be times when we want to help a family member or friend out of a bind, but cannot. God is there, the ever present help, in our times of need. “For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone,” verses 11-12. God provides us with guardian angels.

We must be mindful that this protection does not apply to everyone. This protection comes because we acknowledge His name. He places His protection over us because we place our trust in Him—not a job, spouses, or parents.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name,” verse 14.

Acknowledge God no matter where you are or who you may be around. He is not to just be tucked away whenever we think we need Him, but to be reverenced at ALL times. We trust Him to deliver us from our troubles. Can He trust us to acknowledge Him?