Dwelling in the Secret Place

Jewish tradition, based upon ancient teaching, intimates that Psalms 91 is a dialogue between David, his son Solomon, and Jehovah (Almighty God.)

David asserts in verse 1 ... "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." 

Solomon answers in verse 2 ... "I will say of the Lord, (He is) my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust." 

David replies in verses 3-4 ... "Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, (and) from the noisome pestilence.  He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth (shall be thy) shield and buckler."

According to Jewish opinion about this Psalm, David continues speaking to Solomon in verses 5-13, telling him of the protection he shall receive from God by dwelling with, abiding under, and making God's truth, (the Word) ... his shield.

And then after David's discourse to his son, Jehovah God is introduced in verses 14-16, and basically confirms all that David has spoken to Solomon ... that God shall deliver him from ... "the terror by night, the arrow by day, the pestilence in darkness, the destruction at noonday, and any evil or plague that comes nigh thy dwelling."

God even says why He will do this.  "Because he (whosoever) hath set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him: I will set him on high ... and show him My salvation."

And then the dialogue ends.  It usually does after God has His say.

Supposing this to be a true conversation between David and his son ... and since God does not direct His response only to them; this causes me to believe that Christians today can claim the entirety of Psalms 91 for themselves.  Notice David says ... "He that dwelleth ..." meaning, "whosoever or all."

Notice that the blessings promised here, are not for all believers ... but for those who live close enough to God, that His presence produces a shadow of protection over them.

While it is true that every child of God looks to the mercy seat and even runs to it in times of trouble, yet all do not dwell in that secret place ... (wherever that may be) ... some follow Him from afar and miss His many blessings and protection. 

Following from afar is like in David's day, those who went to the Temple and worshipped in the outer court knew little of what was available for them in the inner Temple sanctuary or they would have tried to make it their place of worship.
 
The outer court was open to the masses.  But to get into the inner chamber, the priest would have to unlock the gate into the Temple sanctuary.  Next to the locked gate there was a small hole all the way through the gate wall.  With the key in his hand, he would reach into that hole, all the way up to his armpit.  He would then unlock the lock that was on the other side, on the inside of the gate.

In the Jewish Temple, that inner gate into the Sanctuary was called "the Gate of Holiness" and opens only …  from the inside.  There's a picture here.  God reached His arm way down to man when He sent Jesus to stretch His arms on the cross and unlock the spiritual gate to the inner chamber, represented by the veil that separated the Temple's sanctuary from the Holy of Holies.

The moment Jesus died, that veil ripped from top to bottom, and unlocked and exposed the inner sanctuary to the world.  Some have said that the rending of the veil of the Temple was done as a testimony ... a token payment for Christ being stripped of His clothes and exposed naked on the cross.  From this point on, God started dwelling in hearts of flesh instead of the Holy of Holies in a Temple made of stone.

Those who enter this secret place of Psalms 91, find that He will never allow any to be harmed within His gates.  This protection is constant ... they abide under it ... for it is the shadow of the Almighty.

What is this key that allows you and I into that secret place David spoke about?  I believe it is man's heart, exposed naked and open before God.  The heart needs to be God's possession alone to fill. 

About the heart of man; may I quote Nicholas Herman, the old seventeenth century Carmelite monk from French Lorraine again?  He says ... "The heart must be empty of all other things, because God will possess the heart alone; and as He cannot possess it alone without emptying it of all other things, so neither can He act there, and do in it what He pleases, unless it be left vacant to Him."
  
It's always a heart thing with God.

So, how do we arrive at this secret place?  The pathway is praise and worship.  That's why David praised the Lord like he did.  David used words of truth in his praise knowing "the truth of who God is" would be his shield from all the attacks and tribulations that he lists in this Psalm. 

I've heard people say ... "God inhabits the praise of His people" ... so much that I thought it was a quote from Scripture.  But Psalms 22:3 only alludes to or suggests this.  But I believe this is the true meaning; when you praise God ... He is there.

You enter into His presence with praise.  You can't travel there physically; but you go to that secret place in your spirit.  You can go there in times of trouble.  You can shut yourself away from the stress, worry and fear that just happens in this thing we call life.

And when you do, you can say right along with David in Psalm 18:2 ...

"The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer ... and my high tower."
      
The term, high tower in Hebrew means ... "a lofty or inaccessible place."  A place of protection where any danger cannot reach you.

Make your secret place a high tower.