Those Who LIVE in God's Presence

....Thoughts on Psalm 91

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

He who dwells...will Abide... Those who LIVE, hang out, spend most of their time with, commune, fellowship & find their livelihood in....the Presence of the Most High & Holy God - Will abide – securely exist, stay put, feel at home, love to be, feel the most comfortable....in His Shadow, nearest Him, right up against Him...

Notice that it does not say – those fair weather friends who only hunt Him up when they need something, or are very disciplined in their weekly visits to His House, or give Him five or six minutes in the morning to touch base with Him...

It does not suggest that people treat God like they do their homes now days – run in and get a shower, grab a quick snack and hit the road again in a flurry of activity. There used to be “no place like home” - but now home is a fleeting concept. We are becoming more and more a people who are slaves of their lower desires, their social media devices, and their hobbies – obsessed with digital interaction to the point where there is little solitude, little time to just be alone with their thoughts, not much real human one on one either, and much less time alone with God!

We must unsuck from the intoxicating elixir of worldly sirens – of media driven excitement and alluring promises of 'being known', or having fame, in a way we formerly never dreamed. Everyone is suddenly trying to post You Tube videos! And, some would say coincidentally, the suicide rate is increasing. But I do not believe those to be random disconnected facts. Those are symptoms of an age in which we have traded peace for noise. Any noise. Anything to keep our minds off our loneliness and desperation. But none of it works. That is because all of our life streams are in God.

You see, all humans are born with a significant birth defect. We have a God-shaped hole in our soul – since the Garden of Eden – a void in our soul that can only be filled with Himself. We NEED Him, as our One Vital necessity of life. And Life will be empty and unsatisfying until we fill it with Him.

As this very familiar passage of scripture, Psalm 91, continues it makes promises of security and safe-keeping to those so situated and dedicated. For example, “You will only look on and see the destruction of the wicked....it will not come near your dwelling...” etc. Well – if one's dwelling is the presence of the LORD I can totally understand why no wickedness could happen there! It wouldn't dare approach.

But how do we access that place of utter security? We seek Him until we find HIM! That's how. We throw off all other loves and all other desires until we value Him above all else. And then – I have found that – the other loves are more loveable, and the other desires more satisfying because they are enriched by His presence! God is not a petulant, insecure being who needs us in a codependent way. He is Love and so draws love to Himself, because it radiates from Him – as the waves return to the sea.

May we learn the art of continually dwelling, abiding, or living in His presence, where it is safe, sound and sane! May we learn the art of staying put, of communing, of fellow-shipping with Him until all danger is past, and all that is left is glory.