Psalm 91: 1-2 "He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, 'He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust'."
These maybe some of the most beautiful words in the Psalms. What a wonderful picture. If asked what I need the most and if I were to be most honest I would probably say peace or rest. Since I want true rest so much, these verses can show me how to get it. I must dwell in the shelter of the Most High. What does dwell mean? To live, to abide, to take up residence, to hang out there most of the time. To hang out in the shelter of the Most High means that I must truly be focused on Him. My thoughts, actions and motives must be founded in Him and abide in Him.
Since He lives in me, I must also dwell in Him. Trust Him, give Him all, and completely surrender to Him. When I am close to the light of Him then His shadow will fall on me and protect me and give me rest. The closer I get to Him the easier it is to rest and to have peace too. Just considering it I am experiencing some of it right now. One of the best things about these devotionals for me is to experience what I am saying right as I am saying it. What a precious gift to be able to do that. I am blessed. Hope this is encouraging you too.
When we can get to such a place of rest, then we can speak the words of this Psalm. "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust." For me to experience God on this deeper level, it necessitates me making a concerted effort to really abide in Him, live in Him and hang out close to Him. It is there that I know the safety of His shadow that provides me with the rest that I desire. Trust begets more trust. Closeness grows more closeness. When we move closer to God, He responds. He draws near when we draw near. We can choose to come closer to Him. When I trust Him then I learn how to trust Him more.
Lots of good stuff today folks to think about. I know I need to work on dwelling in the shelter of the Most High so I can attain that rest that only He can give me. Verse 9 tells us that "if" we make the Most High our dwelling place, He will protect and guard us and command His angels concerning us in all our ways. I sure want that. No "ifs" about it, right? Just remember that if you do this, really draw close to Him then He will show you yourself as part of that process, and that is not easy to see. Worth the results, but you will see what He sees. Actually, knowing this and dealing with this does help us to rest in His grace and mercy. I think that is what that shadow is made out of, His grace and mercy. I encourage you to try it sometime soon and then to stay as close to there as you can. It makes life so much easier and more meaningful.
In the shadow of the Almighty,
Pastor Fred
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