The Dwelling Place

Psalm 91:1-4

“Contentment and covetousness are opposing forces.
Contentment moves us away from idolatry
and closer to the heart of God
while covetousness distances us from God
and drives us to the alters of idolatry.”
John Bevere: Thus Saith The Lord (p.67)





The Dwelling Place

Psalm 91:1-4

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty
[Whose power no foe can withstand].
I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress,
my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His pinions,
and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge;
His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler.”
Psalm 91:1-4 Amplified Bible (my emphasis bold)

This familiar Psalm is one of my favorites
(even though I’m only sharing the first four verses,
the whole Psalm is worth meditating on.)

In the first four verses, there are four different names of God shared,
which add greatly to the meaning of the whole Psalm.
“The Most High” comes from the Hebrew word
elyon (el yone).
This word means: an elevation, lofty, the supreme, upper most or the highest.
Elyon is a God who is above all else,
who has a perspective far above our own.

“For My thoughts are not your thoughts,
neither are your ways My ways, says the Lord.
For as the heavens are higher than the earth,
so are My ways higher than your ways
and My thoughts than your thoughts.”
Isaiah 55:8-9

“The Almighty” comes from the Hebrew word
“shadday” (Shad dah ee)
which conveys the thought of the mightiest of warriors,
or most powerful.
So not only does our God uniquely overlook all of our circumstances,
but He is all powerful in being able and willing to overcome them.

“For the weapons of our warfare are not physical
[weapons of flesh and blood],
but they are mighty before God
for the overthrow and destruction of strongholds,
2 Corinthians 10:4

“The Lord” is from the Hebrew word
y`hovah (yeh ho vaw) (Jehovah)
This concept of God has to do with intimacy with the self Existent One
Our God is not one who is aloof and stands off.
He sees and has the power to bring victory,
but much more than that His relationship with us
is based upon love and mercy
and an intense desire to have us in His presence.

“I have given to them the glory and honor which You have given Me,
that they may be one [even] as We are one:
I in them and You in Me,
in order that they may become one and perfectly united,
that the world may know and [definitely] recognize that You sent Me
and that You have loved them [even] as You have loved Me.”
John 17:22-23

Finally the term used in “my God” is the Hebrew word
elohiym (el o heem`) which is a plural form of God
conveying the meaning of Supreme Gods, or Magistrates or rulership.
It implies the working of the Trinity in covenant relationship.

“And every creature which is in heaven and on the earth
and under the earth and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them,
I heard saying:
‘ Blessing and honor and glory and power
Be to Him who sits on the throne,
And to the Lamb, forever and ever!’”
Revelation 5:13

All things and all events in our lives are summed up in Christ
and His Lordship over all creation.

I invite you now, with these perspectives on God’s names
to read the whole of Psalm 91 and see what the Spirit will reveal to you.
He has a word for each of us for what we are facing right now, today!

May your love for God’s law
bring you great peace
so that nothing can offend you…

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