A Heavenly Cover Over God's Praying PeopleBible World
91:1Psalms 91:1
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
He that dwells in the secret place lives in God's own presence through close intimacy and unbroken communion with Him, a sacred resting place open even in the midst of active work. To abide under His shadow is to live in constant dependence and continual trust, with the whole experience shaped by the measure of that dependence. Those who dwell there are those who choose the Lord as Redeemer and refuge, loving Him and keeping His commandments with humble and contrite hearts and walking humbly before Him. Jesus dwelt there continually through constant trust and communion, giving unfailing service and imparting the life He received, and Enoch's walk with God shows the same fellowship kept even amid confusion and rush of business by a heart ever ascending to God. The promise means God Himself will be strength and defense, with all heaven pledged to help, hiding and securing those who have loved and obeyed Him through the time of judgments and the seven last plagues, and upholding them by His Spirit with strength for every temptation and burden of daily life.
Words of the Promise
The secret place of the Most High is dwelling in God's presence through close intimacy and communion with Him. It is a sacred place that remains open even in the midst of active work, where a person may turn to Him and rest in firm assurance of His care. Those who seek His blessing may knock at the door of mercy and wait with firm assurance, for He welcomes all who come to Him and keeps them under His protection. Abiding under His shelter is a lasting refuge and safety, bringing comfort in sorrow, protection through life's trials, and security in Jesus. Brief visits to that place may produce noble deeds for a time, but lasting and unfailing service depends on continual trust and unbroken communion, for when faith fails and communion is interrupted the life work is marred. Jesus lived in constant trust and continual communion with God, and His service for heaven and earth did not falter.
Abiding under the shadow of the Almighty is constant trust sustained by continual communion, a life of dependence upon God through prayer. Men repair there now and then and abide for a season with noble deeds as the result, then faith fails, communion is interrupted, and the lifework is marred. Jesus dwelt there continually, and His unbroken communion gave unfailing and unfaltering service for heaven and earth. A humble and contrite heart with reliance on the High and Holy One is needed to keep to His way, especially in difficult decisions. A person's experience is shaped and governed by the degree of that dependence.
The Most High and the Almighty is the eternal, personal One, and the protection of the one who dwells with Him flows from His being the Almighty. To remain close to Him is to dwell securely in His care, for His presence is a refuge. That refuge gives comfort and trust, bringing assurance after prayer and rest from pain.
The promise means that God Himself will be strength and defense, a front guard and a rearward. All heaven is pledged to help and strengthen in perplexity. It is to be read and believed and held without discouragement. The trust is to be placed not in man nor in the arm of flesh but in a God full of compassion and gracious, longsuffering and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Dwelling with God means being surrounded by His presence and covered by the shadow of His glory. His is a mighty power, whose height and immovable strength are pointed to by the mountains. Their beauty can lift the mind toward Him.
Dwelling under the Almighty's protection means living in God's presence, which includes every other blessing. Those who abide there can trust God as refuge and fortress. He promises to deliver and honor them, to answer them and stay with them in trouble, to satisfy them with long life, and to show them His salvation.
Who May Dwell There
Those who dwell in the secret place are those who choose the Lord as their Redeemer and make Him their refuge and dwelling place, and they live in His presence and abide under His protecting care. When God's judgments fall and probation has ended, those who have loved Him and obeyed His commandments remain sheltered in His secret place with assurance of His love and protection, while the wicked face the consequences of rejecting Christ and His mercy. In that time the humble and faithful can trust His everlasting covenant of love and face danger with holy gladness.
Living under that protection requires loving God and obeying His commandments, for His commandment-keeping people stand beneath the shield of divine power. They heed His warnings with repentance shown in life and are sheltered by the Most High and kept under His care amid coming destruction. What is required is vital godliness and holiness of heart. Those who are decided on the truth and pure in heart and stand firmly in it are covered by His protection, pictured as a pavilion in which He hides them, and this is especially precious when God's judgments fall while those who rejected mercy and chose rebellion see what they have lost.
This shelter is needed during the sealing time, when Satan tries to deceive and unsettle God's people, and those who waver are not covered by it. Abiding there requires a humble and contrite heart and reliance on the High and Holy One to keep to His way, especially when facing difficult decisions, and one's experience is shaped by the degree of that dependence. Those who walk humbly before Him and live in constant dependence upon God are guided and strengthened and delivered from the fowler's snare.
To dwell in the secret place means to seek God and contemplate His character, hiding as in the cleft of the Rock. Enoch's life of walking with God illustrates such fellowship. God's children are called to meditate carefully on His Word as a guide for character and life.
Keeping God ever before them and cherishing His word and a Thus saith the Lord draws people into His secret pavilion, where His promises are their safeguard when Satan presses suggestions upon the mind. Following the example of Enoch walking with the unseen God even in the busiest places of earth, those keeping the truth in simplicity and love find a quiet resting place amid confusion and rush of business, because God Himself becomes their resting place when they place their trust in Him. Those who keep God before them and trust in Him can find His presence as a place of shelter and quiet rest even amid busy work and temptation. Broken faith and interrupted communion leave the soul in danger.
Christ Enoch Israel Pattern
Jesus lived continually in the secret place through constant trust in God and continual communion with Him, and that unbroken communion sustained unfailing and unfaltering service for heaven and earth. Receiving life from God in that fellowship enabled Him to impart life received from God to others. By contrast, seeking communion only for a season may produce noble deeds for a time, but when faith fails and communion is interrupted the life work is marred.
Enoch's walking with God illustrates this same fellowship, kept even in the busiest places of earth by keeping the truth in simplicity and love. Those who keep God ever before them in this way find a quiet resting place amid confusion and rush of business, because God Himself becomes the resting place, and His promises safeguard the mind when Satan presses suggestions upon it. To dwell there means to seek God and contemplate His character, hiding as in the cleft of the Rock, and to meditate carefully on His Word as guide for character and life. It means praying always by the way to the throne Christ has opened, not remaining always on the knees but keeping the heart ascending to God for wisdom and grace and in praise and gratitude, laying up imperishable treasure in heaven rather than treasure on earth.
Israel was brought out of Egypt and to God so that they might dwell under the Most High's protection and live under His supervision and the shelter of His rule. Christ, their invisible leader, led and guarded them through the dangers of the wilderness toward the promised land, guiding them by cloud and fire with continual love and patience. As they obeyed and remained under His care a power greater than angels fought beside them and they were not defeated, until He established them in the land.
Even a baby in its mother's arms may dwell under the Almighty's protection through the earnest faith of a praying mother. Those who live in communion with God may expect the Holy Spirit to shape their children from their earliest moments, as John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. Christ as a faithful shepherd gathers His people under the Almighty's protection while He intercedes for them as high priest and prepares to face His final battle with Satan.
Shelter in Final Crisis
Those who choose the Lord as their Redeemer and make Him their refuge and dwelling place live in His presence and abide under His protecting care. In the time of God's judgments, when probation has ended and the door of mercy is closed to the wicked and no more prayers are offered for them, those who have loved Him and obeyed His commandments remain hidden and secure in His secret place. That secret place is the pavilion where He hides all who have loved Him and obeyed Him, and it is especially precious when His judgments fall without mercy. The psalm portrays the Lord's coming to end the wickedness of the wicked and to give His people assurance of His love and protection, so the humble and faithful can trust His everlasting covenant of love and face danger with holy gladness.
The wicked, who rejected Christ and His mercy and chose rebellion, then face the consequences of rebellion and see what they have lost, while those who trusted and obeyed remain under His care. Their lot under shelter is enviable to the wicked who are suffering because of their sins. The covering drawn over those who are to be sheltered in the day of slaughter protects them from the burning wrath of God in the seven last plagues.
This shelter is needed during the sealing time, when Satan tries to deceive and unsettle God's people. In the time of trouble those who are decided on the truth and pure in heart and stand firmly in it are covered by His protection. Those who waver are not covered by it.
As with Sodom, while the world dreams of prosperity and peace and cries peace and safety, swift and irretrievable ruin comes upon the transgressor. Those who heed God's warning to escape for their life and separate from sin and sinners, and who show repentance in their lives, will be sheltered by the Most High and kept under His protection amid coming destruction. To dwell under the Almighty's protection is to live in God's presence, which includes every other blessing, trusting Him as refuge and fortress with His truth as shield and buckler. He promises to deliver and honor them, to answer them and stay with them in trouble, to satisfy them with long life, and to show them His salvation.
The waiting people seek that protection in solitary retreats as armed forces prepare to destroy them.
Strength for Daily Living
When temptation comes a person can flee at once to the secret place for refuge and remain under protection. That retreat is made through constant silent prayer for strength and guidance, even when not on the knees, by fixing the thoughts on Christ in faith. Even in the busiest and most tempting places an earnest desire directed to God from the heart reaches Him when a person cannot kneel, and there His everlasting arms are underneath to uphold the heart by His Spirit and support those who trust Him. There the believer receives strength to do His will and is kept safe under His care. Dwelling there is walking with God as Enoch did, praying always by the way to the throne Christ has opened, keeping the heart ascending to God for wisdom and grace and in praise and gratitude for the great salvation brought within reach, laying up imperishable treasure in heaven rather than treasure on earth.
Time alone with God in humble prayer leads to abiding under protection, where the soul sees Jesus and listens to Him. Drawing closer to Jesus and trusting His guidance when temptations come brings rest in His love, joy in His mercy, and freedom from worries and perplexities. Communion makes the soul quick to hear the Father's voice and drives out criticism and judgment of others and the pride and hardness of heart that come from striving for superiority.
For servants sent out to their work the assurance is that God watches over them and His Spirit goes with them as their refuge shielding them from danger. The way remains open even during active work, and those who turn to Him may find a sacred place in His presence and rest in the assurance of His care. Dwelling there is the secret of strength, giving time to think, to pray, to wait upon God for His counsel and for renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual power, the uplifting of His Spirit, fresh life, refreshment for wearied frame and tired brain, and rest for the burdened heart, without which the highest success cannot be attained. Brief visits may produce noble deeds for a season, but when faith fails and communion is interrupted the lifework is marred, whereas Jesus dwelt there continually and His unbroken communion gave unfailing and unfaltering service for heaven and earth.
That nearness brings peace, rest, trust, and confidence, with assurance of being kept from accident and harm. It was experienced as Christ's peace and rest during an overnight journey, remaining through a change of cars, and as comfort and trust bringing assurance after prayer and a night of rest from pain. In Christ's protecting presence there is rest and peace and pleasure, and when temptation, worry, care, perplexity, confusion, guilt, darkness, or unbelief assails the soul, resting under His protecting shade and looking by faith to Christ brings rest in His love. His sufficient grace subdues sin, drives away darkness, and gives support in affliction.
The Lord alone strengthens, shields, and hides His church from Satan's delusions and deceptive workings. His power alone is a sufficient defense for those who dwell under it. A person under that protection is sheltered by the heavenly Physician, and when a physician's efforts succeed and a patient's life is saved, this is to be acknowledged as God's power, an acknowledgment that benefits both physician and patient.
He that dwells in the secret place lives in God's own presence through close intimacy and unbroken communion with Him, a sacred resting place open even in the midst of active work. To abide under His shadow is to live in constant dependence and continual trust, with the whole experience shaped by the measure of that dependence. Those who dwell there are those who choose the Lord as Redeemer and refuge, loving Him and keeping His commandments with humble and contrite hearts and walking humbly before Him. Jesus dwelt there continually through constant trust and communion, giving unfailing service and imparting the life He received, and Enoch's walk with God shows the same fellowship kept even amid confusion and rush of business by a heart ever ascending to God. The promise means God Himself will be strength and defense, with all heaven pledged to help, hiding and securing those who have loved and obeyed Him through the time of judgments and the seven last plagues, and upholding them by His Spirit with strength for every temptation and burden of daily life.
Words of the Promise
The secret place of the Most High is dwelling in God's presence through close intimacy and communion with Him. It is a sacred place that remains open even in the midst of active work, where a person may turn to Him and rest in firm assurance of His care. Those who seek His blessing may knock at the door of mercy and wait with firm assurance, for He welcomes all who come to Him and keeps them under His protection. Abiding under His shelter is a lasting refuge and safety, bringing comfort in sorrow, protection through life's trials, and security in Jesus. Brief visits to that place may produce noble deeds for a time, but lasting and unfailing service depends on continual trust and unbroken communion, for when faith fails and communion is interrupted the life work is marred. Jesus lived in constant trust and continual communion with God, and His service for heaven and earth did not falter.
Abiding under the shadow of the Almighty is constant trust sustained by continual communion, a life of dependence upon God through prayer. Men repair there now and then and abide for a season with noble deeds as the result, then faith fails, communion is interrupted, and the lifework is marred. Jesus dwelt there continually, and His unbroken communion gave unfailing and unfaltering service for heaven and earth. A humble and contrite heart with reliance on the High and Holy One is needed to keep to His way, especially in difficult decisions. A person's experience is shaped and governed by the degree of that dependence.
The Most High and the Almighty is the eternal, personal One, and the protection of the one who dwells with Him flows from His being the Almighty. To remain close to Him is to dwell securely in His care, for His presence is a refuge. That refuge gives comfort and trust, bringing assurance after prayer and rest from pain.
The promise means that God Himself will be strength and defense, a front guard and a rearward. All heaven is pledged to help and strengthen in perplexity. It is to be read and believed and held without discouragement. The trust is to be placed not in man nor in the arm of flesh but in a God full of compassion and gracious, longsuffering and plenteous in mercy and truth.
Dwelling with God means being surrounded by His presence and covered by the shadow of His glory. His is a mighty power, whose height and immovable strength are pointed to by the mountains. Their beauty can lift the mind toward Him.
Dwelling under the Almighty's protection means living in God's presence, which includes every other blessing. Those who abide there can trust God as refuge and fortress. He promises to deliver and honor them, to answer them and stay with them in trouble, to satisfy them with long life, and to show them His salvation.
Who May Dwell There
Those who dwell in the secret place are those who choose the Lord as their Redeemer and make Him their refuge and dwelling place, and they live in His presence and abide under His protecting care. When God's judgments fall and probation has ended, those who have loved Him and obeyed His commandments remain sheltered in His secret place with assurance of His love and protection, while the wicked face the consequences of rejecting Christ and His mercy. In that time the humble and faithful can trust His everlasting covenant of love and face danger with holy gladness.
Living under that protection requires loving God and obeying His commandments, for His commandment-keeping people stand beneath the shield of divine power. They heed His warnings with repentance shown in life and are sheltered by the Most High and kept under His care amid coming destruction. What is required is vital godliness and holiness of heart. Those who are decided on the truth and pure in heart and stand firmly in it are covered by His protection, pictured as a pavilion in which He hides them, and this is especially precious when God's judgments fall while those who rejected mercy and chose rebellion see what they have lost.
This shelter is needed during the sealing time, when Satan tries to deceive and unsettle God's people, and those who waver are not covered by it. Abiding there requires a humble and contrite heart and reliance on the High and Holy One to keep to His way, especially when facing difficult decisions, and one's experience is shaped by the degree of that dependence. Those who walk humbly before Him and live in constant dependence upon God are guided and strengthened and delivered from the fowler's snare.
To dwell in the secret place means to seek God and contemplate His character, hiding as in the cleft of the Rock. Enoch's life of walking with God illustrates such fellowship. God's children are called to meditate carefully on His Word as a guide for character and life.
Keeping God ever before them and cherishing His word and a Thus saith the Lord draws people into His secret pavilion, where His promises are their safeguard when Satan presses suggestions upon the mind. Following the example of Enoch walking with the unseen God even in the busiest places of earth, those keeping the truth in simplicity and love find a quiet resting place amid confusion and rush of business, because God Himself becomes their resting place when they place their trust in Him. Those who keep God before them and trust in Him can find His presence as a place of shelter and quiet rest even amid busy work and temptation. Broken faith and interrupted communion leave the soul in danger.
Christ Enoch Israel Pattern
Jesus lived continually in the secret place through constant trust in God and continual communion with Him, and that unbroken communion sustained unfailing and unfaltering service for heaven and earth. Receiving life from God in that fellowship enabled Him to impart life received from God to others. By contrast, seeking communion only for a season may produce noble deeds for a time, but when faith fails and communion is interrupted the life work is marred.
Enoch's walking with God illustrates this same fellowship, kept even in the busiest places of earth by keeping the truth in simplicity and love. Those who keep God ever before them in this way find a quiet resting place amid confusion and rush of business, because God Himself becomes the resting place, and His promises safeguard the mind when Satan presses suggestions upon it. To dwell there means to seek God and contemplate His character, hiding as in the cleft of the Rock, and to meditate carefully on His Word as guide for character and life. It means praying always by the way to the throne Christ has opened, not remaining always on the knees but keeping the heart ascending to God for wisdom and grace and in praise and gratitude, laying up imperishable treasure in heaven rather than treasure on earth.
Israel was brought out of Egypt and to God so that they might dwell under the Most High's protection and live under His supervision and the shelter of His rule. Christ, their invisible leader, led and guarded them through the dangers of the wilderness toward the promised land, guiding them by cloud and fire with continual love and patience. As they obeyed and remained under His care a power greater than angels fought beside them and they were not defeated, until He established them in the land.
Even a baby in its mother's arms may dwell under the Almighty's protection through the earnest faith of a praying mother. Those who live in communion with God may expect the Holy Spirit to shape their children from their earliest moments, as John the Baptist was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth. Christ as a faithful shepherd gathers His people under the Almighty's protection while He intercedes for them as high priest and prepares to face His final battle with Satan.
Shelter in Final Crisis
Those who choose the Lord as their Redeemer and make Him their refuge and dwelling place live in His presence and abide under His protecting care. In the time of God's judgments, when probation has ended and the door of mercy is closed to the wicked and no more prayers are offered for them, those who have loved Him and obeyed His commandments remain hidden and secure in His secret place. That secret place is the pavilion where He hides all who have loved Him and obeyed Him, and it is especially precious when His judgments fall without mercy. The psalm portrays the Lord's coming to end the wickedness of the wicked and to give His people assurance of His love and protection, so the humble and faithful can trust His everlasting covenant of love and face danger with holy gladness.
The wicked, who rejected Christ and His mercy and chose rebellion, then face the consequences of rebellion and see what they have lost, while those who trusted and obeyed remain under His care. Their lot under shelter is enviable to the wicked who are suffering because of their sins. The covering drawn over those who are to be sheltered in the day of slaughter protects them from the burning wrath of God in the seven last plagues.
This shelter is needed during the sealing time, when Satan tries to deceive and unsettle God's people. In the time of trouble those who are decided on the truth and pure in heart and stand firmly in it are covered by His protection. Those who waver are not covered by it.
As with Sodom, while the world dreams of prosperity and peace and cries peace and safety, swift and irretrievable ruin comes upon the transgressor. Those who heed God's warning to escape for their life and separate from sin and sinners, and who show repentance in their lives, will be sheltered by the Most High and kept under His protection amid coming destruction. To dwell under the Almighty's protection is to live in God's presence, which includes every other blessing, trusting Him as refuge and fortress with His truth as shield and buckler. He promises to deliver and honor them, to answer them and stay with them in trouble, to satisfy them with long life, and to show them His salvation.
The waiting people seek that protection in solitary retreats as armed forces prepare to destroy them.
Strength for Daily Living
When temptation comes a person can flee at once to the secret place for refuge and remain under protection. That retreat is made through constant silent prayer for strength and guidance, even when not on the knees, by fixing the thoughts on Christ in faith. Even in the busiest and most tempting places an earnest desire directed to God from the heart reaches Him when a person cannot kneel, and there His everlasting arms are underneath to uphold the heart by His Spirit and support those who trust Him. There the believer receives strength to do His will and is kept safe under His care. Dwelling there is walking with God as Enoch did, praying always by the way to the throne Christ has opened, keeping the heart ascending to God for wisdom and grace and in praise and gratitude for the great salvation brought within reach, laying up imperishable treasure in heaven rather than treasure on earth.
Time alone with God in humble prayer leads to abiding under protection, where the soul sees Jesus and listens to Him. Drawing closer to Jesus and trusting His guidance when temptations come brings rest in His love, joy in His mercy, and freedom from worries and perplexities. Communion makes the soul quick to hear the Father's voice and drives out criticism and judgment of others and the pride and hardness of heart that come from striving for superiority.
For servants sent out to their work the assurance is that God watches over them and His Spirit goes with them as their refuge shielding them from danger. The way remains open even during active work, and those who turn to Him may find a sacred place in His presence and rest in the assurance of His care. Dwelling there is the secret of strength, giving time to think, to pray, to wait upon God for His counsel and for renewal of physical, mental, and spiritual power, the uplifting of His Spirit, fresh life, refreshment for wearied frame and tired brain, and rest for the burdened heart, without which the highest success cannot be attained. Brief visits may produce noble deeds for a season, but when faith fails and communion is interrupted the lifework is marred, whereas Jesus dwelt there continually and His unbroken communion gave unfailing and unfaltering service for heaven and earth.
That nearness brings peace, rest, trust, and confidence, with assurance of being kept from accident and harm. It was experienced as Christ's peace and rest during an overnight journey, remaining through a change of cars, and as comfort and trust bringing assurance after prayer and a night of rest from pain. In Christ's protecting presence there is rest and peace and pleasure, and when temptation, worry, care, perplexity, confusion, guilt, darkness, or unbelief assails the soul, resting under His protecting shade and looking by faith to Christ brings rest in His love. His sufficient grace subdues sin, drives away darkness, and gives support in affliction.
The Lord alone strengthens, shields, and hides His church from Satan's delusions and deceptive workings. His power alone is a sufficient defense for those who dwell under it. A person under that protection is sheltered by the heavenly Physician, and when a physician's efforts succeed and a patient's life is saved, this is to be acknowledged as God's power, an acknowledgment that benefits both physician and patient.