“Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 NIV
On this Fear Not Friday, I decided to go back to Oct 31, 2019 which is before I started the FNF designation. Psalm 91 is known as “Warrior’s Prayer”. I encourage you to read it aloud over your home and over your family members. You can search the site for other verse by verse entries for the entire Psalm. I also did a Whisper From your Father God on this verse entitled My Shelter is Real
Today’s Flashback – Whoever Dwells…
In our fast food, Amazon ordering, express lane living, and instant Keurig coffee making, who has time for dwelling? Yet dwelling with God is the key to the rest of the chapter of Psalm 91 for protection which God offers.
The Hebrew word for dwelling is yashab. It is defined as to sit, remain, abide and also has the image of marrying. This is not a drive-thru mentality relationship with God. Nor is it the accumulation of facts about God stored in an alphabetized mental filing cabinet in your mind. Rather, dwelling anticipates the intentionality of “carving out” intimate times together with God happening again and again and again.
Jesus understood this principle by his dialogue on the importance of abiding in the vine,mentioned in John 15. The fruit of spiritual life happens continually as long as you remain connected to the vine. The sources of peace, hope, love, courage, wisdom all flows from the vine to the abiding branches.
The promise of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit provides the link necessary for the ongoing moment by moment abiding in the vine. Don’t ever minimize the importance of the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in your life.
How and when does dwelling with God occur within your life? How would you teach someone else to dwell based upon the practice you have cultivated within your life?
Dwelling is the responsibility for our half of the promise in Psalm 91. Rest is God’s response to our taking time to dwell.
- Rest, represented by lack of worry.
- Rest brings a settledness in our spirit.
- Rest acknowledges someone else is fully in control of our difficult situation.
- Rest remains enveloped by His shadow.
- Rest is peace in the storm on open display
May you be blessed today to receive the rest that He promised for those who dwell. Rest which comes in the form of peace of mind, an assurance of God being in charge, settledness in knowing what to do next by following His lead, and the warmth of being chosen in His love. Take your thoughts captive and let them dwell in His shelter. Receive His promise of rest.
Blessings. Love y’all.