Psalm 91 Study, Part 2
As we begin our study on Psalm 91, I pray that this psalm becomes your prayer every day for your family and friends and those who serve in our armed forces for this country. Psalm 91 is our security system, our protection.
Today we are going to focus on verse 1. I am using the Amplified Bible version for our study.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].
There is much to study in this first verse. What does it mean to dwell somewhere? Dwell means to stay, to abide, to settle, to remain, to attach, to cling to, to cleave to. It is not a temporary word. It is an abiding word. When I dwell somewhere, I am living there. I am not just temporarily passing through. I am settled there for my life. I have staked my claim on my dwelling place.
It is important where you and I dwell. Where is your sanctuary? We can live at the Holy of Holies, God’s intimate place set aside for us. We can enter into and dwell at the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, in His righteous footsteps. In Psalm 85:13 in the King James Bible we read that righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps. In the Amplified Bible we read that righteousness shall go before Him and shall make His footsteps a way in which to walk.
We are dwelling in, living in the secret place of the Most High. There are two descriptions of God here in this first verse. We are going to look at the second one first. The Almighty is the word El Shaddai, which means the breasty one, the one at whose breasts I feed and find nourishment. El Shaddai is the One Who is my security, my place of safety, my shelter. And the secret place is in His Presence, intimate with Him, focusing on Him, sometimes sitting quietly, soaking up His Love, His Fatherhood. We are His children and He likes to spend time with us. He wants us to come and spend time with Him, telling Him about our day, discussing our life with Him. He enjoys our presence. He wants to be a part of everything we do.
I would like to point out one other scripture which addresses the secret place. In Psalm 31:19 and 20 we read that God is great. His goodness is great. He has laid up His goodness for those who reverence and worship Him. He has laid it up for those who trust and take refuge in Him before all men. In the secret place of His presence He hides us from the schemes and strategies that are set to overtake us. He hides us in His presence from the strife of tongues. When we are in His presence, strife is not a part of our life. If there is strife somewhere, He hides us in His presence. We are not a partaker of it. Hallelujah! That is good news. Strife is a deadly weapon that satan uses against God’s people to get them over into every evil work, as the word of God tells us. Where there is strife, there is every evil work. We certainly don’t want or need that.
The interesting thing I find about a Christian who spends time with the Lord is that they are not unstable. They are solidly fixed in the Lord. They are not wavering back and forth, one way one time, and another way the next time, never knowing what they will be like from one time to another. This type of Christian who abides in the Lord is confident and assured of His love for them. They are stable and dependable. They are not easily deceived nor are they easily swayed by that which is untrue, which doesn’t line up with their Heavenly Father’s nature. And they have learned His nature by sitting at His feet and learning His ways through His Word.
The secret place is the place of His Presence, Who is Love. The secret place is where we learn of Him Who is love. This is the place where we learn about agape Love, how to walk in agape Love, Who is a person, Love Himself. In 1 John we read that God is Love. Since God is love and He is in us and we are in Him, then we have the capacity to act like Him. And the way we learn how to act, how to imitate our Father, is to spend time with Him, learning His ways.
When we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, we shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty. The word for Most High is El Elyon, which indicates power and might. His power no foe can withstand. What is the foe in your life today? Of course, we know that our ultimate foe is satan. He is our enemy. He is the one who attempts to sidetrack us in life. But let’s get down to those things which satan sends against us. Because you are dwelling in the place of God’s presence, you are dwelling in the place of His power, the power of God, the power of Love Himself. Sickness and disease has no power over you. Poverty has no power over you. Lack and want has no power over you. Fear has no power over you. Doubt and unbelief has no power over you. Nothing has any power over you because you are dwelling in the ultimate power, God, Love Himself. The only power these things have over you is what power you allow them to exercise in your life. God is the power you want to yield to. He is the One Who is your protection from all of these foes.
Tomorrow we will talk more about this power we have as we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, this power which no foe can withstand.
Today we are going to focus on verse 1. I am using the Amplified Bible version for our study.
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].
There is much to study in this first verse. What does it mean to dwell somewhere? Dwell means to stay, to abide, to settle, to remain, to attach, to cling to, to cleave to. It is not a temporary word. It is an abiding word. When I dwell somewhere, I am living there. I am not just temporarily passing through. I am settled there for my life. I have staked my claim on my dwelling place.
It is important where you and I dwell. Where is your sanctuary? We can live at the Holy of Holies, God’s intimate place set aside for us. We can enter into and dwell at the Holy of Holies by the blood of Jesus, in His righteous footsteps. In Psalm 85:13 in the King James Bible we read that righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the way of his steps. In the Amplified Bible we read that righteousness shall go before Him and shall make His footsteps a way in which to walk.
We are dwelling in, living in the secret place of the Most High. There are two descriptions of God here in this first verse. We are going to look at the second one first. The Almighty is the word El Shaddai, which means the breasty one, the one at whose breasts I feed and find nourishment. El Shaddai is the One Who is my security, my place of safety, my shelter. And the secret place is in His Presence, intimate with Him, focusing on Him, sometimes sitting quietly, soaking up His Love, His Fatherhood. We are His children and He likes to spend time with us. He wants us to come and spend time with Him, telling Him about our day, discussing our life with Him. He enjoys our presence. He wants to be a part of everything we do.
I would like to point out one other scripture which addresses the secret place. In Psalm 31:19 and 20 we read that God is great. His goodness is great. He has laid up His goodness for those who reverence and worship Him. He has laid it up for those who trust and take refuge in Him before all men. In the secret place of His presence He hides us from the schemes and strategies that are set to overtake us. He hides us in His presence from the strife of tongues. When we are in His presence, strife is not a part of our life. If there is strife somewhere, He hides us in His presence. We are not a partaker of it. Hallelujah! That is good news. Strife is a deadly weapon that satan uses against God’s people to get them over into every evil work, as the word of God tells us. Where there is strife, there is every evil work. We certainly don’t want or need that.
The interesting thing I find about a Christian who spends time with the Lord is that they are not unstable. They are solidly fixed in the Lord. They are not wavering back and forth, one way one time, and another way the next time, never knowing what they will be like from one time to another. This type of Christian who abides in the Lord is confident and assured of His love for them. They are stable and dependable. They are not easily deceived nor are they easily swayed by that which is untrue, which doesn’t line up with their Heavenly Father’s nature. And they have learned His nature by sitting at His feet and learning His ways through His Word.
The secret place is the place of His Presence, Who is Love. The secret place is where we learn of Him Who is love. This is the place where we learn about agape Love, how to walk in agape Love, Who is a person, Love Himself. In 1 John we read that God is Love. Since God is love and He is in us and we are in Him, then we have the capacity to act like Him. And the way we learn how to act, how to imitate our Father, is to spend time with Him, learning His ways.
When we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, we shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty. The word for Most High is El Elyon, which indicates power and might. His power no foe can withstand. What is the foe in your life today? Of course, we know that our ultimate foe is satan. He is our enemy. He is the one who attempts to sidetrack us in life. But let’s get down to those things which satan sends against us. Because you are dwelling in the place of God’s presence, you are dwelling in the place of His power, the power of God, the power of Love Himself. Sickness and disease has no power over you. Poverty has no power over you. Lack and want has no power over you. Fear has no power over you. Doubt and unbelief has no power over you. Nothing has any power over you because you are dwelling in the ultimate power, God, Love Himself. The only power these things have over you is what power you allow them to exercise in your life. God is the power you want to yield to. He is the One Who is your protection from all of these foes.
Tomorrow we will talk more about this power we have as we dwell in the secret place of the Most High, this power which no foe can withstand.
posted by Rev. Kialeen Potterton @ 6:08 AM
<< Home