Thursday 27th
Psalm 91:1
NIV – ‘Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.’
ESV – ‘He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.’
KJV – ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.’
‘Dwelling in the secret place, overshadowed by his grace.’
Grace Clement – RH95
This is the hymn that Anne chose for Tim to play during communion a week or so ago, it is a hymn that reminds us that we dwell in a place of safety once we have committed our lives to the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many castles in Great Britain that were built to be places of fortitude, places of safety in the midst of conflict, there are places where people can go to which are termed as places of refuge should they be at risk from others, some will have that place which they would call their safe place, a place where they can retire to, from everything else and be alone, this hymn reminds us that for all who trust in Jesus we can be found in a safe place, in the context of this hymn it is the secret place of prayer, where we shut ourselves away from the world and spend time in communion with the triune God, ‘hidden there from all alarm, safe from danger, fear and harm; holden up by his strong arm, seeing only Jesus’.
It is in that secret place that we can be truly blest, it is in that secret place where we can know what it is to truly rest, it is in that secret place that we can know intimacy with Christ, communing as close friends, deep in contemplation and deep in conversation, us talking, him listening, him talking and us listening, the place where we get strength, where we are renewed, the place where we can be sent from, equipped for whatever the day may bring. But I want to also suggest that the secret place is also to be found in the Lord Jesus himself.
One of the great themes of the Pauline epistles is found in those two words ‘in Christ’, there is no better place to be found, in Christ we are new creations, in Christ we are complete, in Christ we are in a pace of safety. Whether we consider the secret place to be the place of prayer or of our being found in Christ, we can say, ‘dwelling there, how truly blest! Leaving all, how sweet to rest’.
The text that the hymnal has above this hymn is from the Old Testament and from that well known psalm, 91 and verse 1. It reminds us that we need to learn to be willing to dwell in the secret place (KJV) if we want to remain under the shadow of the Almighty. The newer versions do not use the words ‘secret place’, they use ‘dwells in the shelter’, whether we use ‘secret place’ or ‘shelter’, it tells us that we need to be somewhere other than out in the world, which is a place of danger or risk, and the place which is our place of safety is found in the Lord Jesus Christ, and it is available to all because of what he has done for us at Calvary, the place where he has defeated the enemy of our souls, in coming to Jesus we are not coming to a place of safety, amongst many, but to THE place of safety. He is the only place where we can be to be ‘safe from danger, fear and harm’, and to be ‘holden up by his strong arm’, as we draw close to him may we all be able to say, ‘seeing only Jesus.’
Dwelling in the secret place,
Overshadowed by his grace,
Looking up into his face,
Seeing only Jesus.
Hidden there from all alarm
Safe from danger, fear and harm;
Holden up by his strong arm,
Seeing only Jesus.
Dwelling there, how truly blest!
Leaving all, how sweet to rest,
Head upon my Saviour’s breast,
Seeing only Jesus.
Resting there, no more to roam,
Drawing near to heaven and home,
Waiting there until he come,
Seeing only Jesus.