Psalm 91: 1-2, 19-16, “Those who abide under the shadow of the Most High”
The Lenten season has begun, which started on Ash Wednesday last week. The season of Lent is a preparation of hearts, minds, and bodies for the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus, the embodiment of God in this world, joining Him on his journey to the cross. In this time of remembrance, we must be reminded that God is ever-present, manifesting Godself as the nurturing mother for Her children. Do we notice the description of a nurturing mother and her children here? Mother and children, –it is about relationships. God’s love is found in relationship. God’s protection is discovered in relationship. God commits to people who are in relationship with God. We must know that with God, the relationship is not given automatically. But it starts with our willful response to His invitation to His love.
Today’s text, Psalm 91, is about God’s relationship with those who come under the wings of God and dwell under the shadow of His wings. Verse 1, “S/he who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” To understand this verse clearly, we should know the structure of the Tabernacle in the Old Testament. The tabernacle or the temple of God in the Old Testament was largely divided by the holy of holies and the outer court. The holy of holies was designated as the dwelling place of God. It was a sacred place, a secret and hidden place for God from the public, and the outer court was for people who came to offer sacrifices to God at least three times a year.
With this understanding, let’s read verse 1 again. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, will abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” “Dwell” in the secret place of the Most High here, the original meaning is “sitting,” as in staying, and the “secret place” means “hiding place. S/he who dwells like the Ark in the holy of holies, s/he who makes God as their “hiding place” will be under the immediate shadow and protection of the Almighty.” “He will cover you with his feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart,” verse 4.
Do you remember the illustration I gave some time ago about the mother hen who squats with her wings open and squawks her chicks to gather under her wings in emergencies like an eagle approaching? There will be sure protection of the Most-High providing shelter and refuge by covering ‘them’ with His feathers and gathering ‘them’ under His wings of the Almighty. Who are they? Those who make God their dwelling and hiding place, have an intimate relationship with God, and live a life of constant communion with God are the ones who are being protected and resting under the shadow of the wings of Almighty. Again, God’s love and protection are not automatically given. God’s love is effective for those who come and dwell under the wings of His protection.
There is a big difference between those who make God their dwelling place and those who do not. Those people, who are sitting, staying and dwelling in the Holy of Holies, in the most intimate place, having constant communion with God, cannot be the same as those who spend their time in the outer court of the tabernacle and coming to God occasionally. People in the outer court come to the Tabernacle to do their religious duty, making sacrifices as required, but they do not dwell in the presence of God, under the wings of the Almighty. Which one are you? Do you make God your dwelling place, having a constant and intimate relationship with God? Or do you stay in the outer court, nearby the Holy of Holies, and occasionally come to God as a guest?
If we stay out in the outer court, come to God occasionally fulfilling religious duty, and not come into the holy of holies, there is no way we can comprehend the love of God. Christ’s blood has little meaning to us if we do not dwell in the Holy of Holies. Because only in the Holy of Holies can we see the Ark of Covenant on which we find the mercy seat of God, where the blood of the lamb is sprinkled. If we spend time dwelling in the inner sanctuary, we will understand more and more of God’s mercy, grace, and love through Jesus Christ, whose sacrifice is the culmination of God’s love. Jesus Christ, who was God himself, died for us to save us from damnation, the hellfire. If we spend more time in the secret place of God, the clearer we will understand the meaning of Christ’s blood shedding for you and me. When I visit patients at the hospital, I meet people who would respond to my saying, “God loves you very much” with “I hope so.” They may still stay at the outer court, not coming into the Holy of Holies. Those people who know God’s love through Jesus Christ and how He shed His blood for them will respond, “Yes, I know, and I love God so much!” when I say God loves them. Among them, many of them are cancer patients and terminally ill people. No matter what they might go through, they can be assured of God’s love for them because they know Christ, His sacrifice. Even though their bodies perish, they know that they will have eternal life with God through Jesus Christ and have hope for eternal kingdom.
This leads to the second point. The refuge and protection found in God alone will sustain people even if the body is destroyed. This refuge will rescue us from things that would harm our relationship with God. The refuge is precisely that. It is a refuge of solace that can provide an inner strength to endure the harshest trials of life. In that sense, God’s presence is a refuge and protection. Since God is ever present in all circumstances of every waking and sleeping moment, then there is a refuge that one can experience in the here and now, and in the future yet to unfold. God is our rock-shelter of hope. No matter what happens or what might unfold, we can have inner peace without being agitated. Those who dwell in the secret place of God, they can confess, “We are hard pressed on every side, but not crushed, perplexed, but not in despair, persecuted, but not abandoned, struck down, but not destroyed,” 2 Corinthians 4:8-10.
Do you see that being protected by God doesn’t mean that no life troubles or pain and sufferings will come to those who dwell in the secret place of God? God’s people surely experience evil and unfortunate things in life, including poverty, sickness, abuses, persecutions, etc. But those who dwell in the secret place of God, having an intimate relationship with God, will not lose heart or dismay but have inner strength and peace to continue their lives amid life troubles. I have a mentor who was kicked out of her house by her husband, not being able to care for or even see her children who were 5 and 7 years of age. She had nowhere else to turn to. Her parents also disowned her for her faith in God. She stayed at a prayer retreat center in the mountains. She was worried sick about her children. So, she decided to fast and pray for 21 days to get her children back to her. However, God told her not to fast for her children on the first day of her fasting, saying that God will raise them. Since then, she didn’t worry but trusted God and had peace about her children not being with her. Ten years later, her husband voluntarily sent her children to her; they grew up beautifully, knowing the Lord despite their father forbidding them from attending church. Like this, God will be with people in trouble but may not make the certain trouble go away. God will deliver and honor those in relationship and give peace and inner strength through the trouble. When we pray, God answers. However, there is no assurance that the answer will be yes. It may be no. We will then need to trust that God knows better than we do the effects of the yes and no answers at the time.
Lastly, verse 15, if we dwell in God’s Holy presence, knowing who God is, then we can call on the name of the Lord, knowing that God will save us; God says God will answer and save us from all troubles and life threats. Calling on the name of the Lord is a sign that we do not give up on hope in the face of great storms in life. We defy what the world dictates us to believe. The world says that there is no hope for alcoholics and drug addicts, people who have contracted incurable diseases, seemingly incorrigible children, but God says, “Nothing is impossible with God.” Especially, in dealing with Satan and its power, God promises that we will have victory. Verse 13. “You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.” Those who dwell in the hiding place of the Most-High will have triumph over Satan’s power that tries to harm their relationship with God, foisting doubts in their mind and causing fears at billowy waves around their ship. Because they dwell in the hiding place of God, being tapped into the everlasting source of the power, seeing who has conquered the death, trampling down and crushing Satan’s head, they can also trample on Satan’s power in the name of Jesus and have victory. This is God’s promise to those who dwell and reside in the inner sanctuary of God. Amen!
