“For you have made the LORD, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place.”
Psalm 91:9
The means through which the unthinkable blessings of Psalm 91 can reach to fallen descendants of Adam like ourselves is found in verse 9. “For you have made,” implies decision, commitment, resolve. Jesus Christ is a refuge for anyone who would come to Him wholeheartedly! But He is not automatically anyone’s dwelling place. Each of us must decide where our souls will dwell.
The fool sets his heart on dwellings of entertainment, culture, relationships, finance, profession, and self-fulfillment. No matter how precious our friendships or how noble our profession, these things are never a sufficient shelter for the soul. Christians can even make church gatherings or ministry work their dwelling place, taking refuge in denominations or even Christian fellowship, but all of this falls short of the life God wants to give us. Even worse, as soon as we remove the throne of the Lord Jesus from over these realms of life, the blessings of God become twisted idols. We misuse and mislead the very things and people God entrusted to our care.
We need to make this dwelling place ours. The blessings of Psalm 91 are not guaranteed unless we make Him our dwelling place. In earthly terms, when we choose a physical home, we select our apartment or house, sign an agreement, and put all we own into that place. Even after we have placed all we have in the confines of our home, we make payments. We pay rent or mortgage on a regular monthly basis to assure we will continue to remain there. What we are saying is, “I am willing to give up this treasure of mine, so that I can dwell in my home.”
The same goes for our spiritual life with the Lord. Brother, sister, if you want to make the Lord your dwelling place, you must move in; give all your belongings to Him and put every egg you have in His basket. Note that your dwelling place will be in God. Therefore, if some items in your bag really have no place in God, He will put His finger on those things. Joyfully part ways with them! Say goodbye to every hindrance, so you can make the Lord your dwelling place. Otherwise, we should stop fooling ourselves into thinking that we take refuge in Him.
What we choose to do in our “free time” will reveal where our soul finds its dwelling place. You may be His child, you may truly love Jesus. Yet, He is calling you to a daily choice to dwell in the shelter of His presence. What mortgage of prayer time can you pay Him? Can you budget in a daily time to feast on His Word? Maybe you have longed to abide in His shadow wherever you go, not knowing that the key is in daily dwelling (91:1). If we do so, we will experience His covering, His deliverance and faithfulness (91:3-4). Our fears will disintegrate, because our soul knows it has “a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens” (2 Corinthians 5:1).
Alex Mack
Teaching Pastor
The Rock Church