Psalm 91 is a wonderful Psalm! It is a Psalm of encouragement, a Psalm of challenge, a Psalm promoting consistency in the Christian life. I think it is one of those Psalms we should meditate upon often. There is a wonderful promise in the first verse: "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Imagine: Dwelling in the very presence of God, in the "secret place of the most high"! Some believers never get very close to God, except for the brief time when they were born again. Others have an occasional "glimpse" into God's inner sanctuary, His secret place, perhaps during an emotional, church service or during a trial. But it is only a "glimpse". They never get very close. Some believers even enter into a close walk with the Lord, but then fall away.

There are those mentioned here who dwell very close to the Lord. To dwell means to abide or remain. The Hebrew word literally means to sit down, as if you are planning to stay. Dwelling close to God is not a matter of geography or service. I am not "dwelling" with God because I attend a particular church, nor because I am a pastor or went to Bible College. Dwelling with God is not synonymous with full time Christian service. This verse indicates a person is dwelling with God when he is abiding in His shadow: that is, when he has a close relationship with Him. This is for everyone.

We are close to God when we are submitted to His Will for our lives. "Can two walk together, except they be agreed?" the Lord asked in Amos 3:3. Of course not. We cannot remain close to God, to dwell with Him, if we are living a life of disobedience. The promises of this psalm are for those few, dedicated people who seek after, find, and submit to whatever God wants for their life.

The Key is Submission

Dwelling with God is more than mere emotion; it is submission. It is a conscious act of the will. It is an intellectual submission our our will to His. Verse 2 says: "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." I will Psalmist exclaims twice. That is a choice. It is thinking through carefully what it means to really follow God, and deciding in our minds as well as our hearts to listen to and obey what God says.

It is also an active submission. Our words and thoughts must be followed up with decision. We are to be doers of the word and not hearers only, James said. To say we follow God and then not do it is hypocrisy. Submission to God is not planning to obey, but actually doing it.

It is also a personal submission, living right ourselves regardless of what others do. It is following God when it is not convenient, easy, or popular. It is following God on sunny days and rainy ones. It is a personal devotion to God that is maintained if all others drift away. Submission to God and His Word must be our own decision, not that of our parents or pastor or friends. The Psalmist said "I will say of the LORD, He is MY refuge and MY fortress: MY God; in him will I trust." Submission to God must begin with our own hearts.

This submission also includes the idea of dependence. For the Psalmist to say God is "my refuge" means he does not have any refuge of his own. For him to say God is "my fortress" means he has no other fortress upon which to rely. To proudly proclaim we are "trusting God" to meet our needs when we hoard money and material wealth is no more than hollow words. To say we seek God's wisdom and guidance, but then live our lives in our own strength and wisdom could hardly be called dependence! I think much that is done in Christian service is not God-powered but flesh-powered. There is sometimes little dependence on God in church work! We will never know the joy of "dwelling with God" if we never really depend upon God!

This submission is also known to others. "I will say...." cries the writer. This means others will probably hear about it. Real submission to God means we go against the trend of society so very plainly that it is clear to all who know us where we stand. This is our testimony. When we dwell in the secret place of the Most High it should be obvious to those around us. If people cannot tell we're walking close to the Lord, we should be asking ourselves why!

The Benefits of Dwelling Close to God

When we are so close to God that we are -- in a sense -- under His shadow, there will be certain benefits: For example, we will experience divine deliverance from problems. Verse 3 says: "Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence". Have you ever felt "snared" or overwhelmed by your problems? Sometimes we look for the light at the end of the tunnel and only see the headlight of a coming train! When we are away from the Lord, we will sin much more easily than if we are close to Him. God sees the train coming....and He will deliver you.

Second, notice how God protects us: with feathers and wings(v.4). We are not covered with steel, or iron or concrete. We are not guarded with big guns. We are covered with "feathers". We are under "wings". This is a picture of a hen with her chicks. When we are close to the Lord He protects us, just like a mother hen would protect her chicks. That hen would scrap and fight and perhaps go to her death to protect those chicks, but all the time nestling them with the softest and gentlest of feathers. God protects with all the strength of Heaven itself, but He uses the image of a mother hen and "feathers". This reveals God's gentleness, kindness and His determination to protect us.

We are protected at anytime: "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day" (v.5). We are protected when the danger is unseen or very obvious (v.6). And our protection is sure: "A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee."(v.7). When we are close to the Lord, when we "dwell" in His very presence, all hell may attack us, but to no avail!

If nothing else, this reminds us we can stand for right regardless of the pressure. The temptations are great, but God is greater. The danger is real (10,000 fall next to us) but our safety is of the Lord!

We can stand for right! We don't need to falter in our faith! If our eyes are on the Lord and we're as close to Him as we can be, we will never be in any real danger from the devil!

Love of God is the Motivation

God's divine motive for this protection is love for us. God does not protect us and load these benefits on us because we deserve it! We are not guarded because we are so good, separated and holy. We are protected because He is so good and holy! We can do nothing to merit this protection. In fact, God demands nothing from us but to stay close. So the key to a successful Christian walk, the key to gaining and maintaining divine protection is not our standards, our wisdom, our strength, our determination. The key, my friend, is where we are---spiritually. Are we close enough to be under His wings? If we strive to remain close to God, like a chick does to a mother hen, we will enjoy the peace, happiness and security that only God can give.