Safety
Psalm 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the Lord, “ He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
When we are in God, we are in a safe place. He is our fortress.
You can own a fortress, but not live, or abide, in it. So how do we abide in God? Psalm 91 tells us how to remain in the strong tower of God, under the "shadow of His wing."
In our relationship with God we "abide" by talking to Him, making Him our first choice, not our last resort. Nothing is beyond His sovereign reach, but He generally intervenes as we seek Him out. In vs 4-6 the Psalmist says:
... His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
We step into our "Fortress" also by agreeing with His truth and not letting fear drive us to foolish action. The world says "you can't trust God, you have to fix this," while God says "seek me first and all the rest will be added unto you". We choose which truth we will live in. When we choose His truth, He takes it personally, for our sake, and the sake of His own name, He will demonstrate that He IS a refuge, a fortress of protection.
Vs. 9 says:
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
Satan quoted this passage (vs. 11) to Jesus while he was tempting Him in the desert. Satan is well aware of this promise to God's children. Satan hates this one, because his attempts to cause trouble in our lives all get filtered through this promise: if you make God your first choice for protection, and not your last resort, nothing the enemy intends for evil will touch you in an evil way. It will either be dead on arrival, or will be turned "for the good of those" who love God (Romans 8:28).
The last one that catches my eye right now is vs. 14:
14 “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. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
We set our "love upon God" by learning to make Him our first love, the most important thing in our lives. There is really only one way to do this: we ask God to set Himself as our one thing. We turn our desire toward Him. When you start to request this, you see the evidence of it taking place in your time, attention, and money. He begins to be more fascinating than the entertainment or hobbies you are used to. You can't wait to talk to Him and spend time
with Him away from the crowds. You use your time and money to agree with His purposes in this exciting time on earth.
This relationship with God in the "secret place" produces familiarity with God and strength when the storms come. It is what God is referring to when He promises "I will set Him on high because He knows my name." God's name describes who He is, what He loves, what He hates, what is on His mind...how He identifies Himself. Our goal in life should be 1st to "know His name." Everything else will be added unto us if this is where we set our gaze...if we set our love upon Him!
When we are in God, we are in a safe place. He is our fortress.
You can own a fortress, but not live, or abide, in it. So how do we abide in God? Psalm 91 tells us how to remain in the strong tower of God, under the "shadow of His wing."
In our relationship with God we "abide" by talking to Him, making Him our first choice, not our last resort. Nothing is beyond His sovereign reach, but He generally intervenes as we seek Him out. In vs 4-6 the Psalmist says:
... His truth shall be your shield and buckler. 5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
We step into our "Fortress" also by agreeing with His truth and not letting fear drive us to foolish action. The world says "you can't trust God, you have to fix this," while God says "seek me first and all the rest will be added unto you". We choose which truth we will live in. When we choose His truth, He takes it personally, for our sake, and the sake of His own name, He will demonstrate that He IS a refuge, a fortress of protection.
Vs. 9 says:
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
Satan quoted this passage (vs. 11) to Jesus while he was tempting Him in the desert. Satan is well aware of this promise to God's children. Satan hates this one, because his attempts to cause trouble in our lives all get filtered through this promise: if you make God your first choice for protection, and not your last resort, nothing the enemy intends for evil will touch you in an evil way. It will either be dead on arrival, or will be turned "for the good of those" who love God (Romans 8:28).
The last one that catches my eye right now is vs. 14:
14 “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. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
We set our "love upon God" by learning to make Him our first love, the most important thing in our lives. There is really only one way to do this: we ask God to set Himself as our one thing. We turn our desire toward Him. When you start to request this, you see the evidence of it taking place in your time, attention, and money. He begins to be more fascinating than the entertainment or hobbies you are used to. You can't wait to talk to Him and spend time
with Him away from the crowds. You use your time and money to agree with His purposes in this exciting time on earth.
This relationship with God in the "secret place" produces familiarity with God and strength when the storms come. It is what God is referring to when He promises "I will set Him on high because He knows my name." God's name describes who He is, what He loves, what He hates, what is on His mind...how He identifies Himself. Our goal in life should be 1st to "know His name." Everything else will be added unto us if this is where we set our gaze...if we set our love upon Him!
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