Take Cover in The New Year

 

Take Cover

Psalms 91:1-2

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."

Psalms 91 is one of the most popular Psalms of the Bible. It has often been used in different situations to address so many things. The book of Psalms generally is most often used in prayer to talk to God about different things and situations and expecting Him to answer and bring a change in different situations that one may face. It is a popular belief that King David wrote the Psalms under inspiration when he found himself facing different situations that is common to man. Men over time used the Psalms in prayer expecting to have similar outcomes David had. Since there is nothing that is new under the heavens, what ever a man may face in life is not new. Other men faced the same thing(s) in years gone by. What we are facing today is a repackaging of what others faced years before us though there might be a slight difference due to modernization but overall, it is wisdoms to learn how to maneuver our ways through lessons learned of people who had gone ahead of us.

In the Psalms before us (i.e. Psalms 91), it started by identifying this one person that the Psalmist is pointing to and the God that the person is attached to. 

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty..."

The Person

Who is this person? It is... "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High...". This person brings himself to the place where he dwells, is settled, drops other options but goes for this one option i.e. the secret place of the most high. In life, it is more like we are pursuing something, we want this or that. We want to achieve this, we want to acquire that. We want to attain to that level and we want to gather something and as we go on and on, we gather dust i.e. the problems of this life and as a result, we start finding ways to solve the problems and this becomes the new pursued i.e problem solving. We abandon the former pursued to solve the problems we gather. As we pursue solution to the new problems, we start to discover other things that are important. Once the problem(s) is solved, the unwise will go back to the former pursued that brought the problem(s) in the first place then the cycle continues while the wise (by human wisdom) will take advantage of all the lessons learned and chart a new course which may start a new cycle on and on. But there is this special class of persons which David referenced.

"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High..."

This is a way to put an end to repeated hurtful cycles in life i.e. "...dwelleth in the secret place...". This person is not pursuing as others will pursue, this person is dwelling in the secret place of the most high. This person is waiting on God. If you dwell, in a particular house, the house projects you from the whether. If the house is unmovable, you are unmovable because you are in the house. If the house moves, you move with the house, that is what 'dwelleth' means. This house is your coordinate. If we locate the house, we locate you. The location of the house is your location. In essence, this person sees God as his dwelling place. His action is referenced from God. His steps are ordered. While men run Helter skelter, he is not moved but trusts God to direct his steps. He carries God along and is carried along by God. God becomes his shock absorber. He dwells in God. This does not suggest that there will be no challenges, it means that God who knows all things will be there to show him the way out and help him solve the problem. The way God will solve the problem will have a supernatural touch. May you be that person who started a relationship with God, whose heart is converted from sin, who is not struggling with matters God is putting in his heart but is taking bearing from God. May you be that person that God can easily instruct by the Holy Spirit and by His word. He is your shield, your health and healer, your provider, your strength and inspiration.

The God

"...secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty..."

God is referenced here as the 'Most High' and also 'Almighty'. Most High is pointing to God as the highest. No one else is above Him in heirachy. He is higher than presidents, he is higher than rulers, he is higher than the highest. He may not be seen with the nacked eyes but His authority can be felt. When He moves, it is noticeable by the wise but fools will despise His warnings because of temporal pleasures. When He becomes your dwelling place, you appear untouchable by any evil force(s). This person runs to Him and is safe.

As Almighty, He can disperse any kind of evil and connect you to any kind of favour. God is Almighty for your good. Today if you will hear His voice, harden not your heart.

God As The Dwelling Place

"...secret place of ... the shadow of ..."

Secret place is where you hid things from possible theft or damage. There is an enemy who was contending for the highest place. He tried to pull God out of the highest place, in another word, he tried to place himself above God but suffer defeat and was cast down. In rage, he is now running to and fro, looking for whom to devour. You are his victim but stay in the dwelling place, the secret place where you can not be easily reached by him. In essence, you are protected in God. Your steps are ordered by the Almighty. He knows the next move of the enemy and will make sure you are covered.

Take The Right Step

"...I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust."

It is not enough to know all these things. What do you do with this knowledge? Your action step is:

"...I will say of the LORD.."

Talking to God and talking with God in your daily life is very important. Talking to people about Him is the very key to your relationship with Him. A relationship with God will desolve many issues in life. Talking with God in prayer enables you to pour your heart to God and let Him know what you desire and what hurts you. It enables you to hear Him speak about action plans and strategies to take action. He helps you to condition your heart correctly so that you do not shift ground. If He is Almighty and Most High, no one else will tell you something better than Him. Relationship with Him will make you read His word and know His mind. The way He helped people in the past is very much the way He will likely help you today.

Benefits

Reading Psalms 91 further, you will see many benefits of making Him your shelter and hiding in His secret place.

Psalms 91:3,4 'Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler."

Deliverance: you will be delivered from the noise of the enemy. The devil makes noise to put fear and make you miscalculate your steps. The Almighty will deliver you from his noise. You will hide under the shadow of the Almighty. You are covered. In verse 5, you are covered and fear shall not enter your heart.

You shall stand: in verse 7, you see a situation where many will fall by your left and right but while they fall, you shall stand. God will make sure you stand because you made Him your hiding place.

Rewarded Instead of Punishment: since you made Him your hiding place, while others are being punished, you will be rewarded because He instructed you away from punishment into the reward. He saw it coming. Verse 8 gave us that assurance.

Evil Will Stay Away: verse 10 gave the assurance that He will keep evil far away from you because you heeded His instruction.

Angelic Ministration: verse 11 gave the assurance that angelic ministration is the portion of those who will heed instruction and hide under the shadow of the Almighty.

Danger Shall Be Powerless: danger can be hidden from the nacked eyes of men but God can see it clearly. Verse 13 assures us that if you make God your hiding place, you may mistakenly step on danger but it will not harm you because you are covered.

Enjoy His Loving Presence: His presence will be evidently clear to you. Verse 14 makes us to see how close His loving presence will be if you make Him your dwelling place.

Long Life: people die before their time because of carelessness and because they have no spiritual cover. Verse 16 assures us that He will see to it that you stay alive until your days are over.

There is benefit in taking cover under the shadow of the Almighty. In the new year, you will take cover under the shadow of the Almighty and you will recover from the cycles that you have been going through these many years. In the new year, see to it that nothing and no one takes you away from God. Build this personal relationship until you stand strong and success becomes part of you. This is the best way to enjoy the new year. This is the way to be truly happy through the year.

Pray;

Almighty God, You are my hiding place throughout the year and many more years to come. Instruct me in the way I need to go through the year. I trust You to reward me. I am safe in Your shelter. This I pray in Jesus name. Amen!