Psalm 91:1-2 — 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.
Not everyone agrees, but I think Psalm 91 is a conversation. One tradition that I love is that David speaks to Solomon, and that Solomon replies — faith speaks to wisdom, and wisdom responds. Beyond that, both verses are for every believer.
Both verses are for every believer — but there’s a condition. It’s in that notion of dwelling in God’s “secret place”. The promise is for those who stay close to Him … they don’t just live in the public rooms — they live in the Master’s private rooms. It is a wonderful place to be. It is a place of perfect safety. Spiritually, it is the place we occupy when we constantly “practice the presence of God”.
Those who dwell in the secret places of the Most High also abide in the “shadow of the Almighty”. The English “Dissenter Bishop”, Dr. Christopher Newman Hall explains it beautifully:
The term here denotes protection. A shadow screens me from the sun, and hides me from my foe. The overshadowing roof of a house shelters its inmates from the storm. And under the shadow of her wings the hen protects her brood. So the glorious attributes of the Most High, the unclouded rays of His perfections, are as a shadow of defense to His people.
In the face of such tremendous promises there can be only one possible answer for the wise believer:
Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. (Psalm 37:3-4)
The trusting believer ought, though, to do more than just trust. The trusting believer ought, in common gratitude, to declare his trust. If you are blessed to dwell in the secret place of the most high, shout it out. “He is my refuge — a place where I am protected. He makes me more secure than a moat, portcullis and stone walls could ever do.”
“My God; in Him will I trust”. There is no other in whom I can place my trust. It is an expression of absolute dependence. I am trying to live in the secret place of the Most High. Where do you live?