Secret Place

Written by Moses in the wilderness, Psalm 91 stands as a beacon of strength to God’s children. It speaks of His love, His protection, His strength, His nearness in time of trouble.

I read the truths, the confidence, the promises of this psalm and my  natural mind says, “no way”. Christians get sick. Christians have accidents. Christians are plagued with cancer. Christians are oppressed and persecuted and killed. That is reality …

as seen from my earthly perspective.

But what if my earthly perspective is not reality – what if it is a smokescreen, an illusion of the enemy? What if I am so busy looking at the upsets that I am allowing them to block my view of God? What if I could see as God sees? What if?

Moses learned to see beyond the everyday to the eternal God, and God allowed him to capture the truth in Psalm 91. I believe the key to this psalm lies in verses one and two:

He that 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 will I trust.

While the secret place may have literally referred to the tabernacle, one source says that it is a Hebrew idiom for something that is between God and the person, the intimate relationship with God. 

For years I struggled to understand the practical reality of living in God’s presence while living on this Earth. Do I need to psyche myself into some super spiritual state to be close to God? That idea is contrary to the truth that my position in Christ is based on faith in His righteousness, not my own works.

For my heart, the struggle was resolved when I read several verses in the New Testament.

And you are Christ’s; and Christ is God’s. I Corinthians 3:23

For you are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Colossians 3:3

When I came to Christ in repentance and faith, I entered the secret place of the most High. He is my refuge and my fortress. These verses tell me that I am hidden with Christ in God. Can you see the layers of security there?

When my heart is safely tucked into the almighty heart of God through His Son, Jesus, I can live through, and above, and beyond all that this world and its ruler can throw at me. I am not alone.

God has promised to answer when I call and to be with me in trouble (verse 15). He has promised to deliver me (verse 15), and He has already kept this promise by delivering me from the power of darkness through his Son (Colossians 1:13).

Moses faced temptations and hardships in the wilderness. He survived because he knew his shield and fortress. He rested in the secret place of God’s care and love.

Today, as I maneuver through the myriad of snags and sorrows in this world, I often run headlong into reality. However, I know that I am securely kept by my Savior, and I know that nothing can pull me or push me or uproot me from His hand and heart.

Colossians 1: ¹² Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: ¹³ Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son: ¹⁴ In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins:

II Timothy 1:12 For the which cause I also suffer these things: nevertheless I am not ashamed: for I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day.

Photo, Safe – Beth Mims