Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Joh 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
One of my most beloved Psalms is Psalm 91. It has been ascribed as written by King David, but many theologians say that Moses was the author, and it was included in the Psalms later by David.
Regardless of the author, it is a beautiful Psalm, and we know that both Moses and David are revered in the Old Testament, and were mighty men of God who loved the LORD!
One of the reasons it could be ascribed to Moses is that Psalm 90 and Psalm 91 start off by telling the reader the importance of dwelling in the LORD. Let’s read!
Psa 90:1 A Prayer of Moses the Man of God. LORD, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.
Psa 90:2 Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever You had formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, you are God.
Psalm 91: 1-2 says:
Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”
Both Psalms speak of a dwelling place in God, but Psalm 91 goes a little deeper and says:
Psa 91:1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
So, the Psalmist speaks of dwelling in the secret place of the Most High God, and abiding under the shadow of the Almighty. The Psalmist is referring to two powerful names of God which are El Elyon (Most High God) and El Shaddai (God Almighty).
The Hebrew word for dwell is “yashab” and the Hebrew word for abide is “loon” and they both have the same meaning, kind of! Dwell means to inhabit, take up shelter or settle in a place of residence or a place of habitation.
This is where we get the word dwelling! Abide is almost the same, except it means to continue, to lodge, remain or to stay permanently!
Question? Is the LORD your dwelling place and are you abiding in Jesus Christ?
In 2 Chronicles 6:18, Solomon asked the question; “But will God indeed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain you; how much less this house which I have built!”
Moses built the Tabernacle and Solomon built a Temple, where God’s presence would dwell among the people.
The house of God, or the place where we gather should never be minimized, because dwelling places for God and his people are important in scripture! David said in the Psalms:
Psa 23:6 -Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me All the days of my life; And I will dwell in the house of the LORD Forever.
Psa 27:4 – One thing I have desired of the LORD, that will I seek: That I may dwell in the house of the LORD All the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the LORD, and to inquire in His temple.
Although the house of God should never be minimized, God desires to dwell among us, and with us personally!
John 1: 14 tells us, “And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
“Isaiah 9:6, says; “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given; and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
Matt 1:23 confirms it! “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us.”
Isn’t that wonderful that God dwells with us, among us, and in us. Isn’t it amazing that God himself wanted to dwell among his creation and came to earth to save us from our sins.
Jesus came to earth and experienced what we experience, what we go through, and what we feel. He came to show us the way more excellently. He left the glory of heaven to dwell with his creation!
John 3: 16 says “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoever believes on him will not perish but have everlasting life!”
As I look at all the other religions, they worship a god who they think is among them, but we worship a God who is with us! The difference between true worship and false worship can be summed up in two words: Relationship or Religion.
Relationship is what we all need with the LORD. God reached down to man through his Son Jesus Christ with grace, love and truth, reconnecting our hearts to the Father through relationship in Jesus Christ.
Religion is man attempting to find God or trying to appease God through made up doctrines, rituals, and religious observances. The late Myles Munroe stated that Jesus didn’t come to start a religion, but came to establish rulership through relationship.
The birth of Jesus Christ brought God to man. But the cross of Christ, brings man to God! Many of us will give or receive gifts next week, but the greatest gift that was given to mankind was Jesus Christ, the Messiah, the Son of the Living God!
It is a gift that was paid in full, it is the gift that leaves no debt unpaid! it is the gift that keeps on giving, it is the gift you won’t have to get a rain check for, and above all, it is the gift that will never break, wear out or depreciate!
The gift of salvation has been given. Receive the gift today! For He is the most precious gift ever given to mankind!
As you celebrate Christmas and the Holidays, remember what Jesus said in John 15:4-7:
Joh 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.
Joh 15:5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.
Joh 15:6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned.
Joh 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
Today, during this Christmas season, and next year. Let’s dwell on the things that are important to God, which is abiding in Jesus Christ! In the midst of giving and receiving gifts, receive and celebrate the greatest gift ever given to man, Jesus the Christ!
God Bless, Pastor Quinn