Dwelling!

Dwelling!

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalms 91:1‭ KJV

So many decisions to be made: so many choices to be settled. For everything that God does and gives, He makes it open to everyone. He is a God who sends his rain on the good and the wicked, and he makes the gift of salvation available and open to all men, irrespective of colour, race or creed. The gift is for ALL men, which reflects in today's extract, which starts with that invitation: He that dwelleth.

But then, the invitation requires a response. It is open to all men, but the only way to get the full benefits of the passage above is to give the right response. Men have come to God for so many reasons in the past: there was a man who wanted Jesus to bid his brother divide the inheritance with him; there were others who came looking for Jesus to make him king because he had fed them with 5 loaves of bread and 2 fish. 

The reason why you come may not always be apparent to the next man, but you had better be sure that you cannot deceive the creator of the heart. Motives and intentions are laid bare before this God, so when he demands a response to his invitation, it is only for my good that I make sure I come with the right one. And the right response has to do with long term investment of time.

The secret place of the Most High is mentioned as the choice of residence. If it is secret, why is it mentioned so publicly here? Could it be that his offer is to the public, but the response is personal. You come into the secret place of your own freewill; you seek Him out because you know the benefits and blessings of that secret place.

Being in that secret place places you in the company of the Most High. There are things that can no longer happen to you as a result of your new placement, and there are now things that have become inevitable as a result of your new placement. Your choice of residence makes it impossible to sit on the fence and be non-committal. The new placement calls for particular actions.

I cannot dwell with the Most High and still be struggling with sin. Those are parallel lines that can never meet. If I am still struggling, then maybe I need to check my residence status. Have I created my own high walls, or am I dwelling in the secret place provided by God Himself? All other secret places have vulnerabilities, because they are made by mortal men. The immortal God is the only one in whom I am truly safe.

And dwelling is so fundamental here. It means to stick to a particular subject matter, to the exclusion of any other thing. If I have options, I am not dwelling. If I keep thinking I am better off somewhere else, I am not dwelling. It is a place of settled assurance that where I am is the best place I can be. No matter what then happens, I have already settled the question of my residence and I know that where I am will get me where I want to be. If I build a house of mine, do I move out simply because the rain is heavy or the storms are quite strong? As long as I am sure of the foundations of the house, I rest assured that I am safe IN that house. That is the same assurance I must have in God. The storms will come, the winds will blow, the rain will beat upon us, but if they find us in the secret place of the Most High, we can rest assured that we are safe. 

And the shadow of the Almighty is so wide reaching that if all of us down here decided to abide in his secret place, we would all find space. God is called the Almighty, and experience in His Word has shown that through all the ages, no one ever trusted Him and ended up destitute. The world has its definitions of success and impact, but let it be known today that outside of the safety, protection and guidance God offers, nothing else will work. You want to be safe; you want to end well; find that secret place and stay there. It is not a place of public affirmation or where crowds find easily. It is a search borne out of personal conviction, and the benefits are eternal. His time of favour is here.