Abiding in God’s Presence

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor any plague come near your dwelling.

—Psalm 91:1, 9-10

 

I have a five-month-old puppy.  This morning he is sleeping pressed up against my leg. He knows he is safe when I am with him.

Aren’t we the same way?  Don’t we know we are safe in God when we remain in His presence? Don’t we know we are secure in His promises when we abide in His love and truth?

Psalm 91:1 speaks of being hidden in the “secret” place of God’s Tabernacle. Psalm 31:20 says that the Lord will hide us in the “secret” place of His presence. If we dwell in the secret place—in the presence of the Lord, we know He protects us. 

“You are already clean because of the word which I have spoken to you,” Jesus told His disciples. “Abide in Me, and I in you” (John 15:3-4a).

You may have received Jesus into your heart but not sought an intimate relationship with Him. To receive God’s truth, you abide in His presence. You listen to His Word. You take in His truth until it becomes your truth. You believe in your heart God loves you and is faithful to His Word. You anticipate hearing from the Holy Spirit, and your heart listens with expectancy for His wisdom.

When we dwell in the secret place of the Lord, we are safe and secure in an intimate relationship with Him. When we remain in God’s presence and truth, we have entrance into His protection. We have peace in His victory knowing He has defeated whatever comes against us. Psalm 91:1 says that those who dwell in the secret place of God shall abide under His shadow. The Hebrew word that is translated as “shadow” in Psalm 91:1 is translated as a “defense” in Numbers 14:9. Those who trust in the Lord will have Him come to their defense.

We see evil coming against God’s children. We see plagues coming against God’s people. But as impossible as this psalm seems to our human understanding, God promises protection from evil. The psalm declares that evil and plagues don’t come near our “dwelling.” This whole psalm was written to those who abide under the shadow of the Most High God—who in making Jesus Lord of their lives discover that He has become their habitation. Your habitation—your “dwelling”—is where you abide in safety in Jesus. It is your “secret place” in God. It is your relationship with Him. This is where He protects you.

To abide in God means we have to abide in His love (1 John 4:16). Those who haven’t heard the Good News of Jesus’ unreserved love and grace have trouble trusting God. It is hard for them to abide in His love. But when you trust God, you have no fear of coming into His presence. You are free to enter the “secret place” of His heart. Jesus has opened the door for a deep and abiding relationship with Him. 

You are loved by God. He sent His Son to save You. His love is greater than your human understanding. It makes no sense to your natural mind. You can only receive His love in your heart. His presence is the “secret place” where you are safe in Him.

Is the Lord your dwelling place? Are you at rest in Him? Do you receive the truth of your relationship with Him? Do you abide in His love?

“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me” (John 15:4).

 

© 2023 Lynn Lacher

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