"In The Right Place All Of The Time"

When we look at Psalm 91 we see an illustration of God’s ongoing, sovereign protection for His people, from ever-present dangers and terrors that surround humanity.

Most of the terrors in this Psalm were intentionally left undefined, so that no one kind of danger could be omitted when this word is applied to the life of the believer.

New babes in Christ as well as mature saints can read this Psalm and learn that nothing can harm them unless the Lord permits it; and if He does permit it you must know beyond the shadow of a doubt that He has a purpose geared to your ultimate success.

(Ref Job)

However, it is very common in the “Body of Christ” to think that this particular Psalm applies to everyone in the church.

                       

                            “THIS IS NOT SO!”

 Notice that the 1^st verse begins with “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High…”

The word “Dwell” means: To live and have a home in a particular place; to reside.

Everyday we wake up and get out of bed in our homes; we shower, maybe have breakfast, kiss the wife/husband and kids and then set out to work. While at work our mind often reverts back to home; we find comfort at home, our loved ones are at home, and there is safety at home. Home is the very place we’d rather be than anywhere else in the world.

What the Psalmist is in fact saying is this: everyone who lives in the presence of God (El Elyon) everyday; “not just on Sunday;” I mean when you wake up in the morning you feel Gods presence because you were with Him before you went to sleep the night before and you spend time with Him early when you rise. Before you set out to work or school you embrace God, on your job you just can’t stop thinking about Him and His goodness. You call Him up on your lunch break; and when it’s quitting time you hurry home because you just can’t wait to talk with God some more; “Why?” Because He comforts you when you’re sad and lonely, when you have a need He makes provision for you, when danger is all around He’s your shield and buckler; but most importantly, “He loves you.”

This particular Psalm can be broken down in the following manner:

I.   The Lord’s Protection (91:1-13)

II. The Lord’s Pledge (91:14-16)

I. The Lord’s Protection (91:1-13)

We must first understand that the “secret place of the Most High” is an intimate place of divine protection. Here the emphasis is on El Elyon; it is in this capacity that God insures His people that absolutely no threat can ever overpower Him. He proved this very fact at the Red Sea when Israel was caught between a rock and a hard place, and at Calvary. Intimacy with God far exceeds just accepting Jesus into your heart; it’s more than just merely loving God: Intimacy in this case is “being in love with God.” Remember the first time you really fell in love? You couldn’t see past your wife/husband. They became the direct object of all your affection and desires, your every thought was on your boo and wanted to do nothing short of keeping them happy and in love with you regardless of what took. He/she became your reason for living, and you made it your absolute business to know all that there was to know about them.

Knowing that Christ freely gave up His throne in glory, and became the ransom payment for our sin-stained lives; knowing further that He loves us with an un-conditional and undying love alone should be enough reason to direct all of our affection towards Him. But it goes even further than that, He placed His Spirit within us; and in our weakest moments Christ shows himself strong enabling us to do all things through Him. The list goes on and on…”We love Him because He first loved us.” Ultimately our love for Jesus, drives us to worship Him in all of His glory, to praise Him for His goodness, grace, and mercy; and from the rising of the sun till the going down of the same we long to bask in His presence.

Now that we’ve become intimate with El Elyon, we can “abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

Much can be said about abiding under Gods’ shadow, but just imagine living under desert conditions where the sun can be oppressive and dangerous; a “shadow” is understood as a metaphor for care and protection from the glare of the sun and the blazing heat.

Often-times life places us in very “heated” situations, (Hebrew boys in the fiery furnace and Daniel in the den of lions: ref. Daniel 3:13-30, Daniel 6), (the shadow of the Apostles providing healing as they walked by: ref. Acts 5:12-15)…it’s during those times that God provides safety on our behalf whereby we can rest in Him.

What were the factors which caused these biblical heroes to rest under the Lord’s power and protection?

(a). Absolute Confidence in God: The experience of being able to trust God to bring them through every situation, no matter how un-foreseen, un-crossable, or un-penetrable. (Ref. Gen 12:4-5, Exodus 14:13-22, Joshua 6)

(b). Divine Provision: God provided whatever was needed under very dire circumstances. (Ref. Gen 22:1-14, Exodus 16:11-15)

II. The Lord’s Pledge (91:14-16

The Lord promises that He’ll come to our rescue, and help us in times of trouble. All this is made possible not just by our belief in who God is, but also by believing in His name. He further promises to answer when we call, which means He’s always listening out for us. Can you imagine being honored by the God of all creation, even when we’re at our lowest state? Isn’t it wonderful to know that the King of kings is ready, willing and waiting to meet you at the very point of your need? That’s not all; the Lord says that because we love Him, He’ll not only grant us His salvation, but life everlasting. Indeed God is not a man that He would tell a lie, we can take Him at his word. All that He requires from us is:

·         That we purpose each day to emulate the life of His son Jesus the Christ

·         Proclaim His glory throughout the world daily by the way we live

·         Praise Him from the moment we awake each morning and before we rest at night.

  (Ref. Psalm 34:1-15, 46:1, Proverbs 18:12, Psalm 113:3, Philippians 2:9-7, Hebrews 11:16)

It’s so good to know that our Savior is walking hand and hand with us; it’s also good to know that no matter what our current status is, because we accept/accepted Christ as Savior and Lord, we were in the right place all of the right time.