DWELLING IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH

Psalm 91:1-16                                                                 

                                                                                                 

Throughout the Bible we find references to the Secret Place in God. In this secret place there is special protection and provision for those who would dare to believe God and trust Him to be their God in every situation and circumstances. God’s miracles of protection and His power to keep the people of God in the face of great difficulties are seen time and again throughout the Bible but personal experiences are scarce. The question is has God ceased to be a God of great miracles to many people.

But God does not change. He is the same yesterday, today and forever and is not respecter of persons. Therefore, since God is the same, why then don’t we hear more about the power of God in performing of miracles for His people

Question: "What does the Bible say about the value of a secret place?"

Answer: Depending upon the Bible translation used, the term “secret place” can appear dozens of times in both Old and New Testaments. Some translations use the words shelter, covering, or dwelling rather than “secret place.” In the Old Testament, the term “secret place” comes from the Hebrew root word cether, which means “to hide or be concealed.” This word is used in Psalm 139:15, “My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth.” Here it speaks of the hidden world of a mother’s womb as a child develops. But this word is also used in Psalm 32:7: “Thou art my hiding place: thou shalt preserve me from trouble; thou shalt compass me about with songs of deliverance.”

Although a secret place can refer to a physical location, it most often connotes a state of a soul in its relationship with God. Psalm 27:5 “For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion: in the secret place of His tabernacle shall He hide me; He shall set me upon a rock”. The psalmist is not referring to an actual tabernacle or tent in which he will hide from physical enemies. He is speaking of the state of peace God gives in the midst of trials and attacks.

The idea of a secret place originates with God. Because He is Spirit and His glory is beyond our ability to perceive, we must meet with Him in the secret places of the heart in order to commune with Him. When Moses wanted to see the glory of God, the LORD explained that no man could see God and live (Exodus 33:20). So God allowed Moses to see His glory only from a secret place. In Exodus 33:22 God said, “When my glory passes by, I will put you in a cleft in the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by.” Here God gives us a glimpse into what we must do to experience the presence of God. It can only be enjoyed when we enter His secret place.

Psalm 91:1 give us the best illustration of the value of a secret place: “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (KJV). Think of the secret hiding places we enjoyed as children. Imagine being ten years old and finding a secret hiding place under the stairs or in the honeysuckle bushes. You slipped inside, and it felt magical! You felt safe and protected from the world. You imagined that you could live there all the time and no one could find you. Often, you invited your best friend to share it with you, because secret hiding places are better shared with someone you love and trust.

That is the picture the psalmist is painting in Psalm 91. God has a secret hiding place, and He invites each of us to join Him there. Notice that He does not invite us to visit. The promise is to those who “dwell” there. To “dwell” means we live there. It becomes our address. God invites us to pack up and move to His secret place. To do so we must walk away from the clamor and enticements of the world. We must be willing to quiet our hearts before Him and allow Him to investigate those inner recesses we reveal to no one else. Secret places imply honesty and trust. We cannot join God in His secret place unless we are willing to be transparent and honest with Him.

Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” Jesus was not necessarily indicating a physical location, because we can pray anywhere at any time. But to really connect with God, we must enter into the secret place in our own spirits and meet God there. Quiet locations help, and we should seek solitude when we want to spend uninterrupted time with God. It is also helpful to have a designated place we go to spend time with God. Jesus did this while on earth. Although He often prayed in public, He also slipped away from the crowds and even His closest friends to spend time alone with His Father in solitude (Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42). But the secret place that Psalm 91 describes is not a physical location. It is a state of spiritual rest that prevails, regardless of outward circumstances.

We will look at the message quickly under five division:

1)What is this place called the Secret Place in God?

2)How can I dwell in this Secret Place?

3)What can keep me from or cause me to leave this place in God?

4)What kind of relationship with God does the Secret Place offer?

5) The benefit of having a secret place with God.

*What is this place called the Secret Place?

Psalm 91:1

There is a place in God where a child of God can dwell that most of Christianity doesn’t know even exists or is unwilling to pay the price to dwell there.

Just as the High Priest of the Old Testament could enter into the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle and be covered by the shekinah glory of God’s presence upon the Mercy Seat, so can we enter into a place where we are so covered by the glory of God that the world and all its evil cannot reach us to tempt us or cause us to sin

The Secret Place of God is not made with human hands. No power of man, no ability of our own hands can create such a place as this. Zechariah 4:6, "… Not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith the LORD of hosts." The Secret Place where we are to dwell is built only by the Spirit of God and is complete control of the LORD OF HOSTS.

The Secret Place is a place of ultimate trust and faith in God where hope is alive and well. It is a place where doubts cannot dwell, where fear is not present and where confidence in the power of God to deliver is ever present. It is a place where faith is so strong that nothing the Devil casts at us will have power over us.

The Secret Place is a place in God where we know that God has everything under control for we are convinced of it in our heart and there is no worry, no concern and no fretting over our circumstances or troubles. We have that calm assurance that all is well.

Our heart knows, our spirit is strong and our mind is made up and the words of Romans 8:28, "And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose”, are not just words but a fact and are irrevocable.

**How Can You Dwell that Secret Place in God?

John 3:3-5; Isaiah 55:6,7; Psalm 24:3-6; 15:1-5

That Secret Place isn’t hidden from the eyes of the child of God but very few really ever find it because, if we are to find it, we must seek after it with all our heart. We must desire the presence of God in life more than life itself and God must take preeminence in our lives.

Finding that Secret Place isn’t as hard as we might think. Many have tried through their own methods and failed and yet it is so very simple to find.

If we desire to dwell in that secret place there is a series of events that must take place in our heart and life before we can enter in.

The High Priest of Israel had to go through a personal cleansing process for himself and then for the nation of Israel before entering into the Holy of Holies. The Law of Moses and the directions given by God on Mount Sinai pertaining to the ceremonial Law were extensive and had to obeyed to the letter, or the presence of Almighty God in the Holy Holies meant certain death for the unworthy High Priest who entered there.

First there came the blood sacrifice of the ram upon the altar. The blood of the ram had to be sprinkled upon the horns of the altar to begin the cleansing of sin for the people. The priest had to put that same blood upon his toe, ear and thumb to signify cleansing from a daily walk in this world of sin and from the power of temptation and sin that entered from his environment.

Likewise, if we are to enter into that secret place in God, the blood must first be applied to our heart and the sin debt we owe must be remitted or paid in full.

Then the priest had to go by the laver and have the clean water of the laver poured over his hands and feet to signify the washing of the water by the Word of God. The High Priest could look over into that laver of pure water and see his perfect reflection in its mirror like surface. Every flaw, every spot of dirt, every blemish was visible in the water and the water therein was used to wash away as much of the earthly corruption as possible.

If we are to enter into the secret place of God to dwell there, we must also look into the Word of God, the Holy Bible and, through the eyes of the spirit, “see our imperfections and corruption” and begin to allow the Word to cleanse those things from us that are not pleasing to God.

For some people, this may seem as though I am speaking of Holy living and that’s exactly what I mean. My Bible still tells me that without holiness no man shall see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14, "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:"

Entering into that secret place of the Almighty requires a life of holiness unto the Lord and discarding anything that would weigh us down and keep us from complete victory.

The High Priest would then enter into the Holy Place, going by the Table of Shewbread, the Golden Candlestick and then to the Altar of Incense in that order. He could not deviate from the plan that God had given for it meant life or death. If we are to enter into the Secret Place of the Almighty, that’s the same path we must take. First there is the Bread of Life, Jesus Christ, and we must become more like him and give our lives and our bodies as sacrifices of service unto Him. Then we must go by the Candle and receive the Light of the Holy Spirit anointing oil upon us so that we can obtain the power needed for service in God’s Kingdom.

Then we must go by the Altar of Incense representing a life of prayer and intercession not only for our own sins but for the needs of the entire body of Christ and those around us.

Finally after all of these things have taken effect in life, our sin debt is paid, the Word has revealed and washed away our faults and failures, we have become a living sacrifice unto Christ, been baptized in the Holy Spirit and spent time seeking the face and will of God, now we are ready to enter into the Secret Place, the place where God’s Spirit and Mercy dwell in power and glory.

***What can keep me from or cause me to leave this place in God?

When we enter in, we must never forget how we got there in the first place and keep repeating the process over and again. If we allow ourselves to become lax then we are sent out of the Secret Place for our Holy God will not allow sin to remain but will start the cleansing process all over again.

How many times have we been in that Secret Place and then, because we took God’s presence for granted, we find that we are not in the Secret Place any longer?

While a prayer life, holy living, study of God Word and the Baptism of the Holy Spirit are not the essential point of Salvation, (We are saved by the Blood of the Lamb and faith in Jesus’ sacrifice upon the cross), these things are absolutely essential for staying the Secret Place of God.

****What kind of benefit or relationship with God does the Secret Place offer?

Let me begin to answer that question by asking another. What kind of life results from not dwelling in the Secret Place of the Almighty?

So many Christians live in defeat, cower in fear from demonic oppression, run from opportunities of ministry, and are shaken by every event of life that upsets their apple cart because they don’t dwell in God’s Secret Place. They have accepted the Lord Jesus as their Savior and they are making an attempt to serve Him and live for Him but they just don’t seem to ever be able to enjoy the victorious life that belongs to every Christian.

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

When we get close enough to God to get in His shadow that’s when the promises of Psalms 91 begin to take effect. We can’t hang around the edge of worldly desires and get close enough to God to be in His shadow.

Walk outside right now and stand in the light of the sun. Look down around you and see where your shadow falls. If anyone is to get in your shadow, they must get close to you. They cannot stand afar off and be overshadowed. Your shadow isn’t that large so that there is a very narrow area where others must dwell to be in your shadow.

I realize that God’s shadow is much larger in one sense of the word because He is omnipresent but I can see, from these scriptures, that His shadow, spiritually speaking, requires us to be very close to Him in we want the provisions promised in this chapter.

The Promises of God to the one dwells in that Secret Place and in God’s shadow are great!

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

God becomes more to us than ever before because as we draw closer to Him, we learn to trust Him more and to know that only in Him can we have real security and protection from the attacks of the enemy of our souls.

...Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler – the deceitful traps of evil men and devils who lie in wait to destroy your home, your family and your life

...and from the noisome pestilence – God will keep you from the dangers of plagues, war and famine. He knows your need and will supply them. Even though Christians suffer depravation or sickness just as all men do, yet we know that God delivers, heals and saves. Our greatest victory is not based upon the necessities of this life but upon that eternal life in glory.

...He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust – just a mother hen covers her young with her wings, so does Jesus cover us to protect us from the storms, the burning heat of the sun and the birds of prey (demons)

...His truth shall be thy shield and buckler – When the time comes that we have grown enough in the Spirit to venture out into the world in ministry, God will be at our side to prepare us for the battles that we must face. He shall protect us and His Word is our weapon and no weapons formed against us shall prosper.

...Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night – we need not fear falling into temptation or losing our way. Hidden dangers, treachery of other people, temptations to turn aside and conspiracies of men and devils against your soul are open to the eyes of the Lord God of Hosts and he will reveal them for what they are so that we can escape them

...nor for the arrow that flieth by day – Open persecution, calamities, fraud, assaults on your character or spirituality and invasions upon your soul by the forces of Hell cannot destroy you for God is your side and greater is He that He that is in the world.

...Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness – there are those wicked men in this world who are even now plotting and making plans that would adversely affect your life. These evil plans, hatched in the dark, secret places will not harm you for God knows how to stop their plans

...nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday – The bold threats of men who would loudly proclaim that they are going to destroy you or persecutors who threaten your very life and safety must flee before my God for they have no power before Him.

...A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand – not because of your power or ability but because God is fighting for you.

...but it shall not come nigh thee –The threats and plans of the wicked are held at bay because God has put a wall of protection around you

...Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked – you can now see through the eyes of faith the end of the wicked men and the devil as they are cast into eternal punishment. But, more than that, you will see how God will bring judgment upon those who would dare to oppose His little children. Just as you would rise up and rush to the protection of a little child so does God for his children.

...Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling – dwelling the Secret Place allows God to become our refuge and fortress and no evil can come close to us for His wall is around us.

...For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone – God has appointed angels to walk with you, to defend you. Through their influence you will learn to walk the right path. They will lead you to the right counselors, to the ways of prosperity in God and help you to find the greatest purpose in life as they minister to you as a Child of god and an heir of Salvation.

...Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet – We should have no fear of anything in this earth or of the spiritual realm for Jesus has made the earth His footstool and has already defeated the head of the underworld and we can trample upon all these things because Jesus lives with us

...Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name – Abiding in the Secret Place of God causes our love for Him to grow ever stronger. God will set us on a pedestal for we are the “apple of His eye” and he will put us out of reach of anything or anyone who would harm us.

...He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.- God promises to hear the cry and prayer of those who dwell in the Secret Place. He promises to be ever near us and bring honor to us. He promises to give us a long and fulfilled life of satisfaction and finally, God promises us that salvation is ours and no man can take it from us.

Oh what great promises to those who will enter into that Secret Place!

Are you in that Secret Place today?

Are you hanging around the edges of Christianity but not really making a total commitment to Christ?

Why not get closer to God and get in that Secret Place?

I don’t know about you but I want to live as close to God as I can. I want to dwell in that Secret Place under the shadow of the Almighty.