Abiding in the Shadows
Psalm 91
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.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, Nor of the arrow that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, And ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, And see the reward of the wicked. 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; For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, Lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, And show him My salvation.”
There are basic needs every human that has breathe needs to survive.
There has to be food for nourishment to the body for strength, building and development.
But also to exert energy to keep going.
Water is necessary to be hydrated so all the cells of our body properly function.
Air is the next necessity for every human life!
Air brings oxygen into our lungs to be distributed throughout our bodies. It fuels our metabolism to ensure that every cell works as God has intended.
Then there is shelter.
Shelter is just as important as the others.
Why shelter?
Shelter keeps the human body safer from the hazards the world offers.
It provides security.
It protects from the elements of the environment. Storms. Floods, tornadoes, cold, heat can take the life of one if exposed too long.
But what about care for the soul?
Does not the soul of men and women need the same basic elements to survive!
The soul needs even more shelter than the human body.
The body is already decaying.
The body will one day shut down.
Everyone that has taken air into their lungs will no longer be able to reap the benefits of oxygen.
But the soul of all men and women will continue on. Only the Word of God and the soul of man will live on for an Eternity.
So my question is this.
How do we care for the shelter of our souls?
AbIde!
There is safety when we abide in the Lord.
There is shelter.
Safety!
Refugee, protection, and deliverance from the things that can destroy and kill the soul!
The shelter our Lord provides comes with promises.
He gives it out freely! He is our refuge and foundation! He is our Salvation, Redemption and Restoration!
He was bruised for our transgressions. He hung from an old Rugged Cross and Rose in victory over these very same things that look to kill the soul!
But these promises come with a requirement.
Verse 1 tells us what we must do:
“ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
Dwell and abide.
Dwell with Him! Live with Him, depending on His very Blood to shield and protect us. It brings us life!
Life everlasting, so much more than food,water or air!
He offers Eternal life!
But we must Abide under His shadow!
Abide.
Abide means to stay,
It’s to be held and kept. Abide means to accept, to remain stable, to stay fixed and be immovable.
Abiding is to trust all God has said and promised. It is receiving those promises through His Son, Jesus.
It is trusting in the shadow of the Almighty.
It’s His cover. His protection.
But we sometimes step out of that shadow and expose ourselves to the evil elements of this world. This is the most vulnerable and dangerous to the soul!
Abiding in His love brings joy and assurance. Assurance of the love that He has for those step close into the shadows of His perfect love!
His love is the shelter to the cares and evils of this world.
We have to train our thoughts, our hearts, our lives to stay focused.
We focus on the Cross of Christ. We look unto His Sacrifice of death. We trust in the Resurrection from the dead.
We depend on His Grace to cover us when the times of this life become dim!
When all of the forces of the evils of this world look to destroy us we dwell and abide in His mercy!
That’s when we have the ability to not be afraid of the terror by night! There is no arrow by day that spooks us!
No destruction can overtake us because we dwell in the Shadow of the Almighty!
I encourage you to dwell and abide.
John 15:4-5 NKJV
[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. [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.
We may try to shelter our souls from the evils ourselves.
We may be daring to step out of the shadow of the Father’s care or maybe have never stepped into it!
But there is safety when we abide in the Lord.
There is shelter.
Allow Him to be your shelter in all things! Have peace in your soul knowing that the Power of Heaven is available in dwelling and abiding!
Pastor Ed
