He who dwells 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 I will trust.”
Psalm 91:1-2

I turned off the television and took a deep breath. In my desire to remain informed, I’d been watching the Governor’s daily update on coronavirus. The Governor was followed by the Mayor of Cincinnati who was preempted by the President. The constant barrage of images, statistics, dire predictions and speculation, growing need, and reminders to practice “social distancing,”  to “shelter in place” was causing mind overload! I needed to refocus; I needed to find a place of worship.

I sat at my piano, and began singing this simple chorus written by worship leader Kent Henry and my pastor, John W. Stevenson:

Under the shadow of Your wings
I will find a hiding place
You are my refuge
A fortress in whom I can trust
Under the shadow of Your wings
I will find a hiding place
You are my refuge
My God in whom I trust

“You are my refuge, my God in Whom I trust,” I repeated.

Then I heard Holy Spirit whisper in that still small voice, giving the phrase “shelter in place” a new and powerful meaning.  “Remain sheltered in this place,”  He said, “the place I prepared for you before the foundation of the world was laid.  The place you have chosen to live. Shelter in place, shelter in  Me and remain safe!”

I’d made the decision long ago to live in that  place, and Holy Spirit was reminding of God’s  covenant promises to all who make that choice.  He invites us now, more than any other time in modern history, to live in and from the truth of Psalm 91. We can rest assured that no matter what the circumstance, if we choose to shelter in the secret place, He has us covered.

Yes, we are living in unprecedented times as we find ourselves in a global crisis. Crisis is a great revealer and God uses it to allow us to see where we truly live.  Are we deeply rooted in the secret place of El Elyon?  Or do we visit, choosing to come and go as we please, but never fully putting down roots?  Is our trust in God alone?  Or have we, unknowingly, begun to place our trust in something or someone else?   God and…

Not only will God use crisis to reveal where we live, He will use it to woo us to a places of greater faith, relentless prayer, deeper intimacy and a greater determination to dwell in Him. He is wooing us, drawing us, calling us to dwell…

Dwell—Hebrew yashab: to sit down, to remain, to settle, to stake a claim, linger, resist all claim jumpers, to possess a place and live there, put down roots, dwelling in quietude and rest, enduring, remaining with constancy.  The secret place of the Most High is not a place of visitation, but of habitation.

Because you have made the Lord who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.  Psalm 91:9,10

The Father has invited all who will come by faith.  He has prepared the way through Jesus Christ. We must choose! Our choice ushers us into a place free of fear and anxiety; a place of peace and rest; a place of love and grace; a place of revelation and understanding; a place of intimacy with the Lord; a place inside His heart.

Choose to dwell, to settle in, to put down roots in the secret place of the Most High, then you shall abide under the shadow of His wings, the only place of true safety and rest.

Shelter in Place!

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What is the “Secret Place”?  I invite you to join me each Tuesday and Thursday  at 7:00 PM EST for a deeper look at Psalm 91 and Life in the Secret Place.  For more information, contact me at deborah@deborahgaston.com