Shalom,

Today we will begin to look at Psalm 91 for the purpose of understanding how to appropriate the promises for our own lives. First we'll look at the entire Psalm:

Psalms 91:1-16 (KJV)
1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath 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 honour him.16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.


Now we will begin to look at it verse by verse so that we can understand how it applies to us. Verse 1 says that the promises apply to "He that dwelleth", which is the Hebrew word, yashab, which means: to sit down, to remain, to settle, to abide, to have one's abode. We must make this secret place our "living place", where we spend most of our time. The "secret place" is the Hebrew word, cether, which means a shelter, a hiding place, a place of protection. The person who finds this secret place of the Most High and dwells there, "shall abide", the Hebrew word, luwn, which means: to stay permanently, to dwell, to remain. That person will always be "under the shadow", the Hebrew word, tsel, which means: a defence, to shade with the idea of hovering over. The One doing the hovering over is the "Almighty" which is the Hebrew word, Shadday, which means most powerful and is one of the many operative Names of God! So just in this first verse we see one of the most powerful promises in the Word of God! If we will spend time habitually in that secret place, then we will be living our lives continually in the protective covering of our Father's presence! How do you find that secret place? I like to say it this way:

"Heavenly Father, I choose to live and dwell in the secret place of the Most High, that place of being aware of Your presence through prayer, through praise and worship, through study and meditation of Your Word and through intimate fellowship with You"

The secret place is not a physical place, although you need to find the physical place that is most conducive to you getting alone with God. The secret place is when you get to that point when you are really aware that He is IN you and WITH you and FOR you! I can't tell you where to find it, you'll have to find your OWN place! But you WILL know it when you get there! And it starts with you scheduling your private time with God as your most important appointment of the day, because it really is! Spend that time with Him consistently, daily, and at the same time every day, if possible. You will find that you will be more aware of His presence inside of you and you will recognize His still, small voice more clearly every day!

This is a good place to stop and let you get about finding or rediscovering YOUR secret place! Then, as we proceed into the rest of this powerful Psalm of protection, provision and safety, it will really come alive and be real to you!

Shalom in Him!