My Place Of Safety

I've been meditating on Psalm 91 over the last couple of days.  This is one of my favorite portions of scripture.  It is full of the promise of God's protection and deliverance to those who abide in His presence and trust Him:

¹ He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

² I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." ³ Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. ⁴ He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.⁵ You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, ⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. ⁷ A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. ⁸ You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

The prerequisite to receiving this protection and deliverance from God is one of dwelling -- a continual abiding in the very Presence of the Lord:

 ⁹ If you make the Most High your dwelling— even the LORD, who is my refuge- ¹⁰ then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. ¹¹ For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; ¹² they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone; ¹³ You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ¹⁴ "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. ¹⁵ He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. ¹⁶ With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation."

My desire is to continually abide in the Presence of the Lord.  Sometimes this may come at a cost, or a sacrifice.  Sometimes it may mean laying aside my list of urgent or important To Do's; it may mean saying no to a date with a friend; or it may even mean saying no to a new ministry desire, or allowing God to remove a responsibility that I already have, if even for a season.


I am after the One Thing:

One thing I ask of the LORD, this is what I seek: that I may dwell in the house of the LORD all the days of my life, to gaze upon the beauty of the LORD and to seek him in his temple. (Psalm 27:4)

Somedays I feel like I am so far from that place, but there are other days where I feel like I am right there.  I don't believe God would have us to wait until we get to Heaven to dwell in that place of safety, and gaze upon His beauty.  I believe that place is right now.  But it might take allowing God to rearrange our commitments and schedules as we allow Him to gently lead us there.  But once I get there, nothing can harm me.   God promises to protect me 

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble.  (Psalm 46:1)

God says that because I know and love Him, He will deliver and protect me. How do we get to know God and love Him more?  By continually abiding in His presence, in the secret place.  For me, it's easy to go there in worship.  I get lost and caught up in my love for God and His love for me.  And through His Word.  It is my lifeline. Through it I am strengthened and refreshed. The next time I find myself looking into the face of the enemy through fear, doubt, unbelief, insecurity, or any other humanly emotion, I want the enemy to be reminded of Who I am and Whose I am! Because I love Him. Because I know His Name.

Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name.  (Psalm 91:14)