“He that dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty…Abide in Me, and I in you.” Psalm 91:1, John 15:4
Dear Ones:
What does Scripture mean by the “secret place of the Most High?” No doubt it means, to a great extent, the same thing that Jesus spoke of when He said: “…pray to your Father, who is in secret.” (Matt. 6:6) That which is secret is hidden. In the case before us, both in the Old Testament, as well as in the New, we are looking at a place, a special place, where, hidden from the attention and distractions of the world, the individual heart seeks, and finds God. Is it a material place? A material place may contribute to the realization of it, as a quiet place of aloneness. However, we must remember what Jesus told the Samaritan woman, with regard to worshipping God: “…the hour is coming when you shall neither in this mountain, nor yet in Jerusalem, worship the Father.” (Jn. 4:21) In the matter of seeking and worshipping God, it is primarily a matter of how we seek to worship, “in Spirit and truth.”
At one point in the history of Israel, when the people were en route to Canaan, but still in the wilderness, Moses took the Tabernacle, or “Tent of Meeting,” and put it outside of the camp. Those who would seek the Lord would go out of the camp to the tabernacle. That tabernacle was a physical place, but which was also a picture of the place where God dwelt, and where He met the individual who would truly seek Him. David, many years later would speak of desiring, and seeking, to “…dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life.” (Ps. 27:4) What did he mean? For the Israelite, there was a physical tent of meeting, and later, a temple, where one could seek, and find God. There was also a “secret place,” in the solitude of one’s heart, where man would meet with God. This was not physical, and yet it was a more certain reality. Jesus would say, “…and the Father who SEES in secret shall reward you openly.” (Matt. 6:6) The issue then becomes one of choosing to LIVE in the IMMEDIATE PRESENCE of God, in true worship of the heart, finding Him there.
The Lord Jesus would expand our concept of this concept of dwelling in God, by speaking of ABIDING in Christ. Since Pentecost, the Spirit of God has indwelt every believer that has been born again. Christ has become, not only the object of our worship, living, and service, but our dwelling place. He is WHERE we are to live. He declares: “I am the Vine, you are the branches.” (Jn. 15:5) We are called to live believe this most certain reality…Christ is in us, and we are in Him, to LIVE and to ABIDE in Him according to this truth. We live by Him, because we receive all from Him, even our very life. It is as we SET our lives in Him by faith, and derive all from Him by faith, that we practically choose to dwell in Him, abide in Him. The remarkable thing, and just as certain, is that He abides in us, and reveals His life through us.
Dear Father, anoint our eyes to see the truth of our relationship with Christ. Grant us grace and strength to believe Christ to DWELL in us, and we in Him. Clothe us with His humility to the point that He can be in and through us all that He desires to be and accomplish, for His glory. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
Love, Dad