Dwell!

Dwell!

He that dwelleth 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. Psalm 91:1‭-‬2 KJV

Context:

Nothing is said of the person who wrote these words but there is no doubt as to the power behind the words. The times we live in now are scary; nothing seems to work. Principles are being whittled away, little by little. Standards keep falling, because it is easier for men to blend in than to stand out. The world offers protection for its own; the challenge is that the world cannot protect you from what it does not understand. You cannot give that which you do not have. How can the limited world offer you the life that it does not have? 

The solution is found in today's extract. There is a God who owns and holds life in his hands. He gives life to all who come to him, and guarantees eternal life to all who put their trust in him to the end. He will not promise something he cannot deliver. He is not man, given to weaknesses and lies. He is not limited by time, circumstances and space and he's not subject to emotional uncertainties like man. That is why his Word can be trusted. Today's extract highlights some of his promises, and I will do well to look at these critically, so that I can fully understand what he needs me to do. 

Message and Response:

1. Choice: God has made an offer to all who seek the life he offers. He does not force his will on any one. That is what makes us different from every other creature on the earth: the power and freedom to make a choice. God gives me the full picture of the consequences of my choice. He leaves no doubt as to what I stand to gain or lose based on my choice. He does not hide anything from me. I can't claim ignorance of the consequences of my choice. Always, it is a choice between two eternal extremes: life and death. All I do from birth until death or rapture is a choice between these two extremes. 

2. Residence/location: it matters where I choose to live. As always, there is a choice between two extremes. Today's extract talks about the secret place of the Most High. That is an actual place of residence, which also means that there is a place away from the secret place of the Most High. There is no fence here, so you can't be in neither. Every day, from my decisions, I am dwelling either in God's secret place or anywhere else away from his presence. It does not matter how 'secure' a place is; if it is away from the secret place, it is open to attack at anytime, and there is no guarantee of safety. 

3. Status: the key word here is DWELL. It is not a temporary arrangement, whereby you come in and go out as and when you please. There is grave danger in that uncertainty. What if you go out of the secret place and you are attacked, unable to return? What if the owner of your life makes a demand for it while you are out of his secret place? How can he offer you his kind of life if you never submitted to his authority or took advantage of the grace and mercy he offered for free? Am I renting temporary space or am I dwelling? Dwelling gives me rights of residence. Temporary accommodation does not. Which one do I have? 

4. Personal Confession: there is a place for my own decision and action. In the light of the information I have been given; there is a decision I have to make. God offers me the place to stay, as well as the benefits of that stay, but I have to make a public confession and take a stand. Like the writer here, in light of all that God has done, I must align myself with his will and take advantage of that which he is and has. 

Anyone can say the words: He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. However, it is only true for all who have taken advantage of the offer in the earlier part of today's extract. Calling on God is the easy part; even people who do not care about him seek him out when trouble comes. This is not the emergency variety, good only for the times of trouble, but this is a call to a life of consistent faithfulness and commitment. Before I stand before men to make claims, have I knelt before God in total submission to his will? Before I claim familiarity with God, can I say of a truth that I have sorted out my devotion to Him? Does he know me as His own? Is He my all in all, or are there other possible 'viable' options? My claim on God is based on my stand with him. If he is my all, I get all that he is. If he does not know me, it does not matter what I claim. His time of favour is here.