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Ecause 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. (Psalm
91:9-16)
In
yesterday’s devotion on Psalm 91 (Part One), we discussed the SECRET PLACE of
the MOST HIGH. It is a secret place to the lost, but a known place to the saved
and called of God. Though the elect of God may not know the geographical
boundaries of the SECRET PLACE, they know the WAY and the means of getting
there.
The
SECRET PLACE is likened to a fortress in an evil land full of robbers,
murderers, and the reprobate. The Fortress of the Almighty is on an elevated
plane, high above the mundane concerns of the world, and is a strong place of
security. But even inside the walls of the Fortress is another more heavily
guarded stronghold called the King’s Chamber where the saved of the Lord abide
in His Presence. The HABITATION AND STATE OF THE GODLY is completely opposite
the habitation and state of the dead. Death does not exist in the Presence of
God. It is for this reason that those who die in their sins will not see God’s
Throne on High. But those who are the elect will not see death, either. I AM the God
of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? God is not the God of
the dead, but of the living. (Matt 22:32)
If
we abide in Christ as our habitation, He will likewise abide in us. Our
habitation must be a place of life and not death. So, we live and have our
being in Christ.
If
our Habitation is in God, how can evil or pestilence come near? There shall
no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.
Even
the Angels of God stand watch over the people of God. 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. Our
Lord is the Light to show is the way and the Lamp to guide our feet from the
stones of the bad way. The steps of a good man are ordered by
the Lord: and he delighteth in his way. (Psalm 37:23) See how the Angels of
God are ever-present with the righteous to guard our every step!
Even
in our hard-fought battles of life, we are amazed at our victories against great
odds. If so, the victory was not ours, but belongs to the Lord: 7 Be strong and courageous, be not afraid
nor dismayed for the king of Assyria, nor for all the multitude
that is with him: for there be more with us than with
him: 8 With
him is an arm of flesh; but with
us is the Lord our God to help us, and to fight our
battles. And the people rested themselves upon the words of Hezekiah king of
Judah (2
Chron 32:7-8)
When
we were young, we could do little to return the unconditional love of our dear
mothers. But when she sacrificed, day-in and day-out, in cleaning our rooms and
cooking our meals, and hugging and loving us, did we not at times bring in a
bouquet of wild flowers to give to the darling of our hearts? Was she not more delighted
at the wild flowers than the beautiful red roses of the florist? We can give
nothing to God that He does not already own. He bought our salvation on the
cross at Calvary, as well. All that we have comes from Him; but how delighted
He is that we return to Him our paltry tokens of love as little children! God
desires even an echo of that love with which He first loved us while we yet
knew Him not. 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. We are
not acquainted with a person simply because we know their names from a page of
the telephone directory. When we truly know a person, their name conjures up
emotions of love, of dread, of contempt, or friendship. When we truly know the
Lord, we know His Name with an intimate love and understanding, and we are
pressed to study more of Him to know Him even better.
We
have a Sovereign power upon whom to call in time of need, loneliness, or even
joyful praise – the Lord Jesus Christ! If we are on that Divine frequency of
His Will, He will hear us and answer according to our need. 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. If our dials are only a slight
degree off, He will not hear, nor will He answer. Why? If I regard
iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me. (Psalm 66:18) Messers
Benny Hinn and Joel Osteen are going to be shocked when the answer does not
come! The Lord disdains to hear any voice that emanates from a corrupted
vessel. But He also knows our needs more than we know them. (Do not confuse
NEEDS with DESIRES). Our parents knew better than we where the safe playgrounds
were, and God knows better than we where our hearts should wander. Ye ask,
and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon
your lusts. (James
4:3)
God
will bless His people with long life, if ETERNITY can be considered long! With
long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. This is even
more profound for those who honor their mothers and fathers. 12 Honour thy father and thy mother: that
thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth
thee. (Exodus
20:12)
