A safe and secret place of security
by Margaret Silvester
We set off in sunshine for our mountain walk in the Austrian Alps. After some hours we heard the rumbling of thunder and the whole scene changed. We were high up and fully exposed when the storm clouds broke. There seemed nowhere to shelter from the storm until we stumbled upon a small hut on the side of the mountain. The door was locked, so we huddled into the leeward side of the hut until the storm passed. Strangely enough, we felt safe, sheltered from the storm.
Psalm 91 is probably one of the most loved of the Psalms. We cannot be sure who wrote the Psalm, but we can assuredly say it was written by someone who truly knew God and had experienced His faithfulness in the good and bad times of life – in sunshine and in storm.
Our text for today uses the words ‘dwelling’ and ‘resting’. Dwelling speaks to me of a permanent place – a daily life of living permanently near to God and in trusting relationship with Him. Resting speaks to me of a more temporary place – a place of safety and trust when the storm blows and things feel unsafe. It speaks to me of a sense of inner peace whatever life throws at us.
Insecurity is an ‘in’ word today because we live in an insecure world. However, this psalm assures us that it is possible to feel safe and secure whatever happens. It’s a psalm about the protection God has for His people and how we can choose to experience it. He provides shelter, shade, refuge, safety and rescue. His faithfulness surrounds us and He even sends angels to guard us from danger.
All this doesn’t happen automatically. When we dwell in the Most High – a permanent way of living, not just a ‘now and then’ experience, we acknowledge our dependence upon Him. Whatever changing scenes of life we face, we dwell secure in the knowledge that He can be trusted and He knows best. We love and respect Him and call upon Him in days of trouble, knowing that He will deliver us. This is true security.
In times of testing we can confuse real security with absence of difficulty and pain. God promises that as we love and trust Him He is with us in sunshine and storm, in good times and hard times. Being in trouble with Him is far better than being in trouble without Him.
Prayer: Father, thank You that You never change. Thank You that You’re always with us, and in a world of insecurity and unrest we can know Your presence, as we walk with You, in joy or sadness, and in peace or storm. Thank You for giving Jesus who has made known to us Your heart of love. Amen.
Margaret Silvester had a career as a teacher prior to being called into full time Christian Ministry with her husband, David, in 1986. They were involved in establishing a Healing Ministry in the local church and Margaret has a passion to see lost and wounded people found and restored. She and her husband joined the Ellel Ministries teaching and ministry team in 2000 after a clear call from God. Margaret`s book "Stepping Stones to the Father Heart of God" has recently been published.
Please feel free to use this devotional to send on to your friends or share with your church fellowship. Provided full acknowledgement is made to Seeds of the Kingdom as the source, you are also welcome to use it in a non-commercial way and reproduce it in magazines or other Christian websites. The copyright for any commercial use of the material remains with Ellel Ministries International.
