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.”
Psalms 91:1-2
Psalms 91 is a promise of favor and protection to those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High. In Psalms 91:14 says that all the promises of protection in Psalms 91 will happen for those who set their love upon the Lord. Setting our love upon the Lord and dwelling in the secret place of the Most High are the same thing. A love relationship with the Lord is the open door to God’s secret place. It’s the door to His protection.
This promise of protection is for those who dwell in the Lord, not for those who just visit Him every now and then. We are to abide in Christ. (John 15:4). This promise is for those who make the Lord their habitation (Psalm 91:9). A person can be born again without abiding in Christ. Abiding in Christ is an intimate and unshakeable relationship with the Lord who lives within you. It’s spiritually growing to believe He is who He says He is in your life. You are under His safety and protection.
Abiding in Christ gives us entrance into the protection of the Almighty. The Hebrew word that was translated “shadow” here is “tsel.” It was translated “defense” once in Number 14:9 and twice in Ecclesiastes 7:12. Those continuously trusting in the Lord will have Him come to their defense.
I John 4:8 tells us that God is love. Thus, to abide in God means we have to abide in love. “God is love, and he who abides in love abides in God, and God in him” (1 John 4:16). Those who haven’t heard the wonderful news of God’s unconditional love and grace through Jesus cannot abide in love. Consequently, the wrath of the Old Testament Law will prevent them from receiving God’s love and blessings. If you’re struggling to believe that God loves you, then you’re living under condemnation. Jesus came to free you from condemnation. There is no condemnation in Him (John 3:17).
The Hebrew word “cether,” which was translated “secret place” in Psalm 91:1, was also translated “secret place” in Psalm 18:11. Psalm 27:5 speaks of being hidden in the “secret” of His tabernacle. And Psalms 31:20 says that the Lord will hide us in the “secret” of His presence.
“When you cross over the Jordan and dwell in the land which the Lord your God is giving you to inherit, and He gives you rest from all your enemies round about, so that you dwell in safety, then there will be the place where the Lord your God chooses to make His name abide” (Deuteronomy 12:10-11).
The Lord your God has chosen you as the place for “His name” to abide. You are His. God’s protection and safety are promises of your inheritance. But for you to receive these promises you must develop a relationship with Him. You must abide in Him, seeking Him as He has sought you.
“I will say of the Lord ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust’” (Psalms 91:2).
Psalm 91:2 states that we must intentionally say of the Lord that He is our safety and protection and we will put our trust in Him. Death and life are in the power of our tongue (Proverbs 18:21). What we speak comes out of what we have in our hearts; it’s either death or life (Luke 6:45).
Proverbs 3:3 says you are to write God’s love and faithfulness on your heart. Psalm 45:1 says your tongue is the pen of a skilled writer. When the truths of God’s love and faithfulness are written on the tablet of your heart, your spoken word has the power to speak life into God’s promises.
The promises of God in Psalm 91 are true for those who dwell in fellowship with Him. Out of the abundance of their heart, they speak His truth into life: “He is my refuge and my fortress. My God, in Him, I trust.”
Head knowledge is like holding a key in your hand, but heart knowledge is the key that opens the door to victory. Abiding in Jesus means knowing Him intimately; it’s the spiritual understanding of His Word, that when spoken out of the abundance of your relationship with Him, produces what the Word has promised you (John 5:4-5).
“If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples” (John 5:7).
