Introduction
Pslam 91, is one of the most popular psalms, even Satan quoted it to Jesus. I myself leant this psalm when I encountered an angel in a dream. It contains a series of promises that many believers live and die without ever seeing.
It promises, ultimate protection from God, against every form of evil, demonic attacks and sickness, for you and for your family. Many christians have read and declared these scriptures in prayer, yet not seeing results in their personal life. This teaching aims to share how a believer can enter into the secret place of God, so they can see the results of that Psalm in their life.
Let me start by Posting the full Psalm.
THE PSALM
Psalms 91:1-16
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. 4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. 9 Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 10 no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
11 For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, so that you won’t dash your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known my name. 15 He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him. 16 I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation.”
Who Is This Promise For
A lot of Christians have tried to pray this psalm over their lives and its like a hit and miss. All promises of this psalm are directed at one specific kind of Believer.
HE THAT DWELLS IN THE SECRET PLACE
Though the promises are for God’s people yet it does not say, ‘My People’
Though the promises are for believers, yet it does not say, ‘To those who believe.’
It says ‘HE THAT DWELLS IN THE SECRET PLACE.’
Also it does not say,
– He that VISITS, the secret place.
So you may be a Christian or a follower of Christ, but unless you learn to DWELL, in the secret place, you will not see the realisation of this psalm in your life.
So, what is The Secret Place?
Its a Place of Darkness
Psalm 91, was not written by David, it was written by Moses. When God came down on Mt Sinai, God’s glory appeared as a mighty, bright consuming fire. Yet this fire was hidden behind a Thick Dark Cloud. So. Whilst God is light, yet his glory is hidden behind darkness. Yet, though all Israel was God’s people, God called only Moses to come into the Thick Darkness where His presence was.
Exodus 20:21
The people stayed at a distance, and Moses came near to the thick darkness where God was.
It is from this Thick darkness that God delivered his commandments. Where God expressed his will. David is bold so as to say. God has made Darkness his shelter, or his dwelling place.
2 Samuel 22:12
He shrouded himself in darkness, in thick rain clouds.
Moses spent a total of 80 days and 80 nights in that Darkness, in the presence of the Lord. And he did not eat any food, and when he came out, his face glowed. Out of this experience in this Secret Place of Darkness where God hides himself, Moses then wrote this Psalm 91. So he wrote what he experienced in that secret place.
The Most Holy Place
When God told Moses to set up a tabernacle for him. It had three places. The Outer Court where everyone could access, and this was lit up by the sun during the day and by the torches at night. The Holy Place where the priests ministered everyday, was lit by the Menora. A special lamp that had seven lights, which represented the seven spirits of God.
But God’s presence was in the Most Holy Place, behind the veil, in the secret place of his presence, and there was no lamp. So it was a very dark room, and the High Priest would be called to enter into that dark room, to encounter the presence of God only once a year. When Solomon built the temple of God, this reality hit him and he declares:
1 Kings 8:12-13
12 Then Solomon said, “The Lord has said that he lives in thick darkness. 13 O Lord, truly I have built a lofty temple for you, a place where you can live permanently.”
The thick darkness, where you can’t see anything, is the secret place of the Most High. Its a place of mystery, a place of uncertainty, a place of the unknown. If someone requests, I can teach separately on why God lives in thick darkness.
For now, lets move on.
Where Is God’s Secret Place Today
The secret place is a place where you experience the presence of God and his glory is imparted onto you, such that you begin to share and radiate his glory. This is not a physical place but its a place inside of your heart, where his spirit dwells.
It is a Place of Brokenness
David had been worried that whilst he had built a palace for himself, God’s presence which was the ark, was living inside a tent. So David desired to build a dwelling place for God’s presence to live in. God obliged him, but years later, he comes to Isaiah and reveals that there is no building that man can build which can contain his presence.
Isaiah 66:1
1 This is what the Lord says: “The heavens are my throne and the earth is my footstool. Where then is the house you will build for me? Where is the place where I will rest?
God then reveals that the true house, that contains his presence, is inside the spirit of a man. A broken and humble man, who trembles and is afraid of his word.
Isaiah 66:2
For my hand has made all these things, and so all these things came to be,” says Yahweh: “but I will look to this man, even to he who is poor and of a contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word.
The specific man that Isaiah was prophesying about was Jesus. He is the one in whom the fullness of God was pleased to dwell.
Colossians 1:19
For all the fullness was pleased to dwell in him,
Colossians 2:9
For in him all the fullness of the Deity dwells bodily,
What most christians don’t know is that we as the church are also called to be filled with all the fulness of God. Though we already have the Spirit of God, Paul prays that we may be filled with ‘ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD.’
Ephesians 3:19
and to know Christ’s love which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.
How to Enter The Secret Place
You don’t just enter into the secret place, you’re invited by God to enter. And God lives only with people who are of a broken and humble spirit.
Isaiah explains.
Isaiah 57:15 (WEB)
For the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, says: “I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also who is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite.
David also had this revelation.
Psalms 34:18 (WEB)
Yahweh is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves those who have a crushed spirit.
Psalms 51:17 (WEB) The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit. O God, you will not despise a broken and contrite heart.
Moses A Broken Man
We saw that God called Moses to come up to his secret place and receive an impartation of God’s glory. The bible tells us that Moses was the meekest man upon all the earth. A lot of Christians and preachers look down on Moses and Peter, because of what seems like faults. Its because people do not understand, that their weaknesses are actually the source of their greatness.
When God is calling Moses, we hear Moses giving God so many reasons and excuses why he can not go. Moses had lost all confidence in himself, in his ability to speak, and in his ability to achieve God’s purpose. Moses was a broken man, who had lost all sense of self-esteem. Moses was very learned, he was a warrior, he was a prince. But when God found him at 80 years old, Moses was now a poor old, frail, humble shepherd.
He had lost all his personal strength and all his previous achievements in the natural meant nothing to him anymore. It is in this state of Brokenness, when he now saw that he was nothing, and capable of nothing, that God called him to walk with him.
God is attracted to Brokenness.
The reason why God will never call you like Moses, is because you’re too strong. You’re too focussed on your strengths.
Paul puts it best in this way.
2 Corinthians 12:9-10
9 But he said to me, “My grace is enough for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” So then, I will boast most gladly about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may reside in me.10 Therefore I am content with weaknesses, with insults, with troubles, with persecutions and difficulties for the sake of Christ, for whenever I am weak, then I am strong.
The Breaking Process
Contrary to what many may think, brokenness can not come onto a new believer. Brokenness comes as we mature in Christ. God first has to allow you to use all your natural strengths, gifts and abilities. When you have achieved much with them, and are beginning to have pride in your strength, he then removes his hand to reveal how wretched you truly are. In your greatest strength is actually not strong enough. Your strength is your weakness. When you receive this realisation, that your greatest gifts, strengths and abilities are worth nothing, it is only at this point that you can become broken.
God first allows you to use all your strength, to resist sin. When you have done so, and are beginning to think you have mastered it, you fall, and he expects you to see, that you are weak. He allows you to preach with your gift, that he gave you. You see great results, and as you’re about to have confidence in it, you face great disappointment.
He wants you to see that your gift, means nothing without his grace. His glory, is in his grace. And he gives his grace to the humble.
This is the end of the Teaching for now. Let me know if you want me to expand or explain specific areas.
STAY BLESSED
