Psalm 91:1-2 (KJV)
91 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psalm 91:1 give us the best illustration of the value of a secret place: “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (KJV). Think of the secret hiding places we enjoyed as children. Imagine being ten years old and finding a secret hiding place under the stairs or in the honeysuckle bushes. You slipped inside, and it felt magical! You felt safe and protected from the world. You imagined that you could live there all the time and no one could find you. Often, you invited your best friend to share it with you, because secret hiding places are better shared with someone you love and trust.
That is the picture the psalmist is painting in Psalm 91. God has a secret hiding place, and He invites each of us to join Him there. Notice that He does not invite us to visit. The promise is to those who “dwell” there. To “dwell” means we live there. It becomes our address. God invites us to pack up and move to His secret place. To do so we must walk away from the clamor and enticements of the world. We must be willing to quiet our hearts before Him and allow Him to investigate those inner recesses we reveal to no one else. Secret places imply honesty and trust. We cannot join God in His secret place unless we are willing to be transparent and honest with Him.
Jesus said in Matthew 6:6, “But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen.” Jesus was not necessarily indicating a physical location, because we can pray anywhere at any time. But to really connect with God, we must enter into the secret place in our own spirits and meet God there. Quiet locations help, and we should seek solitude when we want to spend uninterrupted time with God. It is also helpful to have a designated place we go to spend time with God. Jesus did this while on earth. Although He often prayed in public, He also slipped away from the crowds and even His closest friends to spend time alone with His Father in solitude (Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42). But the secret place that Psalm 91 describes is not a physical location. It is a state of spiritual rest that prevails, regardless of outward circumstances.
There is great benefit from dwelling in “the secret place of the Most High.” When we choose to leave behind the world’s delights in favor of a lifestyle of continual spiritual contemplation, God draws near in new ways (James 4:8). We begin to see our sin the way He does (Isaiah 6:1–5). Time spent in the presence of God reveals our true thoughts and selfish motivations that might otherwise escape unnoticed. From this secret place, the fruit of the Spirit takes root and grows (Galatians 5:22). We start to see our lives from an eternal perspective. Earthly frustrations lose significance.
We do not have to neglect our responsibilities or relationships to dwell in this secret place. The key to moving there is a total surrender to the Holy Spirit and the will of God for our lives. This decision dominates our actions and changes our outlook. As we obey, God meets us in His secret place (see John 14:21). He teaches us and encourages us to remain. Our continual choice to surrender fully to Him results in His continued strength to do so. If our lives are to bear lasting fruit, the power to bear that fruit comes from time spent with Him in the secret place (John 15:4–5; 1 Corinthians 3:14–15; Psalm 92:12–14).
source: Gotquestions
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