Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered outside the gate. Therefore, let us go forth to him outside the camp, bearing his reproach. For we have no continuing city here, but we seek one to come.
Select a thought to read by choosing a collection, the month, and then the day:
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
David, in Psalm 91:1
Are you tired of strife? Tired of harshness and hatred? Are you tired of proud boasting and foolishness, and of the disrespect shown by the world to the things of God? There is a place where such wicked things are not, where such things have never been. It is the “secret place of the Most High”, and Jesus invites us there. Jesus has made this hiding place for us, this refuge, this place of safety and peace, this place of fellowship, mutual love and understanding. It is a strong fortress where sin has never been, nor ever will be. It is the comforting shadow of God’s wing. It is a secret place that the world knows nothing of, a place none can enter without an invitation from God.
David knew that place. He mentioned it in Psalm 91: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
Jesus mentioned it when he wept over Jerusalem. “O Jerusalem! Jerusalem, which kills the prophets, and stones those who are sent to you! How often would I have gathered your children together, as a hen gathers her brood under her wing, and you would not!”
The secret place of the Almighty is where God hides us when we are baptized by the holy Ghost into Christ. Paul told the saints that their lives were “hidden with Christ in God”, and we know that “in God”, where our lives are hidden with Jesus, there is nothing that is evil.
The test for those who are brought into this place is whether or not we will trust God enough to remain there when we have found it. When we see others we love struggling with dark desires, stubbornness, and ignorance, will we remain “under the shadow of the Almighty”, trusting God, or will we leave His protective shadow and become entangled with the spirits of this age? Where do we accomplish the most good for others, being sucked into controversies and trouble with them or resting with Jesus in the secret place of perfect peace? What course of action shows sinners more light, or more clearly shows them the way to peace?
The flesh would have us try to be somebody’s hero; it would draw us into conflict with worldly spirits. But to become “entangled in the affairs of this life” one has to forsake the comforting shadow of the Almighty, and Paul warned his son Timothy never to do that (2Tim. 2:4). We can save no one. We can change no one’s heart. We cannot seek God for others; they must desire that for themselves. If watching us keep our joy and remain at peace in the midst of troublesome times does not stir up a desire in others to come to our secret place of rest, nothing will.
“Let not your heart be troubled” was a commandment from the Lord. Jesus knew his disciples would face trials, and in some cases, would face persecution to the death, but he gave them that commandment anyway. “Let not your heart be troubled.” And that commandment, re-phrased, could just as well be, “Stay under the shadow of God”; or “Stay in the secret place of the Almighty”; or “Stay full of the Spirit”; or “Keep yourself pure”; or any of the other such biblical phrases that point to the secret place of God.