Our Part in Abiding Together with God
Our Part in Abiding Together with God
David W Palmer
(Psalm 91:1 NKJV) He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
We have seen the Father’s dream to dwell on earth in and with each of us, and to walk among his people. Jesus promised that if we love him as he says, his Father and he would make their home with us. If we obediently love Jesus and keep his word, he promised: “My Father will love him, and We will come to him and make Our home with him” (John 14:23 NKJV).
God’s desire and promise to us in this area is conditional upon our response to it, along with the prerequisites Jesus mentioned: obedient love for him and keeping—protecting and defending—his word, while having it live in us. For what else are we responsible in this covenant of permanently dwelling together on earth?
In Psalm 91:1, we see that the onus is on us to dwell in God’s “secret place” (KJV). This is because the amazing promises and blessings of this Psalm are contingent on our fulfilling the conditions it lays down. In opening, it clearly states that the benefits are available to those who fulfill: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High” (Psalm 91:1 NHEB) In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit underlines this idea:
(James 4:8 NKJV) Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners; and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
As well as the issues it refers to in context from James, the second part of this verse, “cleanse your hands … purify your hearts,” echoes the conditions we saw from 2 Cor. 6:14–18:
Don’t be partners with those who reject God
Come out from among them (those who reject God) and be separate
Don’t link up with those who pollute you. This certainly connects with “purify your hearts”
Don’t take to heart advice or counsel from the ungodly (Psalm 1:1)
What else does Psalm 91 say in its lead up to the listing of the benefits for those who fulfill the conditions it lists?
(Psalm 91:2 NKJV) I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” ...
Here in verse two, we encounter a second condition; as well as dwelling in God’s secret place, we have to say something to activate the blessings that follow. What do we have to say, confess, declare, articulate from our heart’s overflow? God is:
My refuge—shelter and protection
My fortress—like a shark net or defensive stronghold
My God
The one in whom I will trust.
Then in the middle of this Psalm, the Holy Spirit reiterates our part in this partnership covenantal agreement:
(Psalm 91:9 NKJV) Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, Even the Most High, your dwelling place.
This clarifies and keeps before us God’s truth that these promises are not randomly available to every and anyone—even if they are born again. They are only going to benefits those who have made God—by their decisive response to him and love of him—their dwelling place.
Finally, after outlining the associated promises of shelter, blessing, defense, and divine provision, the Holy Spirit rounds off the Psalm with another restatement of the receiver’s part in this:
(Psalm 91:14–15 NKJV) “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. {15} He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
Let’s list what this clearly states as our responsibility in making this work:
Set our love upon God
Know his name
Call upon him
So when we love God in these ways, and actuate the initiative to draw near to him—permanently making him our dwelling; and when we know his name and character, confess him as our protection, shelter, and shield; and when we call on him, all of the following benefits—as listed in this charter—are ours to receive:
(Psalm 91:3 NLT) For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.
(Psalm 91:4 CEV) He will spread his wings over you and keep you secure. His faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall.
(Psalm 91:4 TPT) His massive arms are wrapped around you, protecting you. You can run under his covering of majesty and hide.
His arms of faithfulness are a shield keeping you from harm.
(Psalm 91:5–6 NLT) Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. {6} Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
So far, we have seen that for those who dwell in his secret place and keep his conditions; God has promised rescue, protection, preservation, health, a hiding place, and shielding, with no fear or dread.
Then he let’s you see—from your perspective in Jesus at God’s right hand—what will happen to those who reject him:
(Psalm 91:7–8 NLT) Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. {8} Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.
This is simple to understand; and it doesn’t imply that God is choosy or biased in how he treats people. Those who meet the conditions are safe; those who reject God are not.
The Psalm continues, describing angelic help and protection for our life on earth:
(Psalm 91:10–12 NLT) No evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. {11} For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. {12} They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
This is followed by a decisive statement of our place relative to the devils—as confirmed by Jesus in Luke 10:19:
(Psalm 91:13 NKJV) You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
Even by the final verse of the Psalm, the intensity, scope, and magnitude of the promises haven’t diminished in the slightest amount.
In his summation, God says of the person who dwells with him:
(Psalm 91:16 NKJV) With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”
I encourage you to move dwellings—if you haven’t done so yet—to permanently dwell in God’s secret place with him … today!
So far, we have seen that his covenant with us has two sides: we draw near to him and dwell with him in his secret place. Then as we lovingly obey, keep his word, and meditate in it day and night; with the Holy Spirit’s help, we will receive revelation. If we believe and respond to it as he hopes, this will lead to manifestation. And then, if we continue in faith, humility, love, and transparent intimacy, he will abide with us on earth—not so secretly:
(Matthew 6:6 NKJV) “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.”