Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God
Grant me, O most loving Lord, to rest in you above all else –
above all creatures, above all health and beauty, above all glory and honor, above all power and dignity, above all knowledge and cleverness, above all riches and art, above all fame and praise, above all sweetness and comfort, above all hope and promise, above all gifts and favors that you can give, above all happiness my mind can feel –
above all that is not you, O God.
Anything you bestow on me or reveal to me or promise to me is too small and unsatisfying if I do not see or meet you in it.
For surely my heart cannot truly rest, or ever be fully contented, unless it rest in you.
Amen.
(Thomas ‘A Kempis)
Psalm 91 NKJV
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.”
Matthew Henry
He that by faith chooses God for his protector, shall find all in him that he needs or can desire. And those who have found the comfort of making the Lord their refuge, cannot but desire that others may do so. The spiritual life is protected by Divine grace from the temptations of Satan, which are as the snares of the fowler, and from the contagion of sin, which is a noisome pestilence. Great security is promised to believers in the midst of danger. Wisdom shall keep them from being afraid without cause, and faith shall keep them from being unduly afraid. Whatever is done, our heavenly Father’s will is done; and we have no reason to fear. God’s people shall see, not only God’s promises fulfilled, but his threatenings. Then let sinners come unto the Lord upon his mercy-seat, through the Redeemer’s name; and encourage others to trust in him also. [1]
J. A. Motyer
The Lord’s eight promises: rescue (intervening action), security (protect, set on high out of reach of danger), answered prayer, companionship in need, deliverance (from threat), vindication (honour), personal fulfilment (satisfy) and the enjoyment of salvation. Note how these reach from initial saving action (rescue) right through to fully enjoyed salvation and cover all intervening needs. There are three conditions to be fulfilled: loves me (the yearning love which clings to the loved one), ‘knows my name’ (lives with the Lord in the light of what he has revealed about himself) and prayer (he will call).[2]
Late have I loved thee, O thou Eternal Truth and Goodness: late have I sought thee, my Father!
But thou didst seek me, and when thou shinedst forth upon me, then I knew thee and learnt to love thee.
I thank thee, O my light, that thou didst thus shine upon me; that thou didst teach my soul what thou wouldst be to me, and didst incline thy face in pity unto me.
Thou, Lord, hast become my hope, my comfort, my strength, my all! In thee doth my soul rejoice. The darkness vanished from before mine eyes, and I beheld thee, the sun of righteousness.
When I loved darkness, I knew thee not, but wandered on from night to night. But thou didst lead me out of that blindness; thou didst take me by the hand and call me to thee, and now I can thank thee, and thy mighty voice which hath penetrated to my inmost heart.
Amen.
(Augustine of Hippo)
Under His Wings
If you have found this meditation helpful, take a moment and give thanks to God. Then share what you learned with a friend. This is how the grace of God spreads (2 Corinthians 4.15).
[1] Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Matthew Henry’s Concise Commentary (Oak Harbor, WA: Logos Research Systems, 1997), Ps 91:1.
[2] J. A. Motyer, “The Psalms,” in New Bible Commentary: 21st Century Edition, ed. D. A. Carson et al., 4th ed. (Leicester, England; Downers Grove, IL: Inter-Varsity Press, 1994), 546.
