He who dwells (Heb. YASHAB) in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Ps 91:1 NKJV

What does it mean to ‘dwell in the secret place’ of ELYON? It seems that far too many of us, myself included at times, fail to enjoy the promises laid out in Psalm 91. I do not believe that this is due to overt sin or a lack of character, but rather with a lack of teaching. Personally, I’ve lost three great friends, men who were fathers to their peoples, in the prime of their lives, ones who were in one sense irreplaceable, to disease and violent accidents. I believe they died from a lack of understanding of these truths. Let’s consider what else Psalm 91 says, and how it relates to New Testament truth for today.

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; Ps 91:9-10 NKJV

Consider that! ‘No evil shall befall you!’ Some of us have been taught that if you really begin to serve the Lord, the devil will get mad and make your life miserable. The Word says, no evil shall befall you. What do we believe, the Word or some false, experience-based soulish teaching? ‘No plague shall come nigh your dwelling.’ Remember, this was LONG before the understanding of modern medicine had ended many of the plagues of disease in much of the world. Can the Creator of the heavens and earth deliver on these promises, and how do we position ourselves to receive them?

The Word YASHAB means ‘to sit.’ Your heart should already be jumping to Ephesians chapter two about now…

…made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, Eph 2:5-6 NKJV

What did it mean to ‘sit’ in the culture of the Bible? First of all, there wasn’t the ancient Jewish equivalent of Starbucks. It meant that the ones sitting had entered a home, usually a tent or a courtyard, and were thus coming under the protection of that home. If you were sitting with a great man, an esteemed leader, he may sit on a small dias, a raised wooden platform, while you sat on the ground or on a rug. When we sought the permission of the imam of Ndele in northern Central African Republic to plant a school of ministry there, this is exactly how we sat. We sat ‘at his feet.’ He granted our request.

At one point, Job’s friends sat with him for seven days without saying a word. Think about that! I would say that that would require great peace in your heart, but the context does not indicate that Job’s friends had great peace. But I can say that they had great respect. In another usage of YASHAB, it says that Moses was ‘content’ to sit with the father of Zipporah, in other words to dwell with him. So, to sit or to dwell requires great respect of the one you are to dwell with and contentment, or a great, inner ease and comfort of relationship. Are you deeply content with the Lord? Do you have great respect, great fear of Him?

Another aspect of ‘sitting’ or dwelling together involved eating, specifically the sharing of salt. Salt is a preservative and a nutrient that the body really needs. The sharing of salt indicated a covenant of unbreakable loyalty which was well understood throughout the culture. You didn’t just eat with anyone. A host would serve anyone, but he would only eat, I.e. share salt, with someone with whom he was willing to make a covenant. It would be true to the culture that you would defend that covenant at the greatest expense, even with your very life (Gen. 19:6-8). When Jesus shared the sop with Judas, He was indicating to all present that His love and commitment to Judas, His salt covenant with him, was so great that He would defend it with His very life…which He did.

For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in His pavilion; in the secret place (Heb. CETHER) of His tabernacle He shall hide me; He shall set me high upon a rock. Ps 27:5 NKJV

Now let’s talk about the ‘secret place,’ which is the Hebrew word CETHER which means ‘a cover.’ Now watch this…this is unbelievable!

You shall hide them in the secret place (Heb. CETHER) of Your presence from the plots of man; You shall keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Ps 31:20 NKJV

The secret place is the MANIFEST PRESENCE OF GOD! Now start to put this together – ‘He who sits contentedly, dwells in the manifest presence of God.’ Moses told the Lord that he didn’t want to go up to the land of milk and honey if He didn’t go with him. Why? The secret place – the manifest presence of God – is where Moses, the meekest man on earth, wanted to sit, wanted to dwell. In fact, he would not obey the Lord unless the Lord met those conditions. He knew of ‘the plots of men,’ and the strife of tongues – he was well schooled in those arts in the Egyptian courts – and he wouldn’t go without His presence. Smart man! Sometimes I think we don’t demand enough of God. Are you hearing me?

Now, in contrast, and to help us understand, consider the first usage of YASHAB…

And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt (Heb. YASHAB) in the land of Nod (lit. vagrancy or homelessness), on the east of Eden. Gen 4:16 NKJV

Cain, the first child of the devil (1Jn.3:12), went out from the secret place – the manifest presence of God! – and sat down contentedly in the land, or ‘tent city,’ of vagrancy or homelessness, poverty and despair, and unsaved man has dwelt there ever since! Doesn’t that paint a clear picture for us? Lord Jesus, Thank You for the gift of understanding…

Now, how do we learn to sit or dwell contentedly in the manifest presence of God? Perhaps first of all, the deep fervent fire of love for God and men has to continue to flame within while the cold cunning of false ambition is allowed to be burned up by the Spirit. That process, the refiners fire, allows the peace of God, the key element to take center stage. Our ‘meat’, our true ambition, becomes ‘to do the will of Him who sent us and to finish His work.’ Peace is the essential reality in the heart that opens the door for revelation…

Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Ps 46:10 NKJV

Speaking in tongues much will burn up carnality and build up the heart for revelation. The practical key in any prayer session is not to leave it until you are released by the Master. If you went to visit an important person in their home you wouldn’t leave until they released you. Usually, the key man standing up ends the meeting. Courtesy and protocol works in the heavenly realm as well. If you will wait for the Spirit to release you, you will go with the presence of God.

We are seated contentedly in the heavenlies in Christ with all things under our feet. This is an established reality, a done deal. All that it takes to manifest the promises of Psalm 91 is for us to become comfortable with the practical realties of who we are in Christ, and apply them.

Try this prayer out, will you?

“Lord Jesus, through Your blood, the blood of the Lamb, I declare that I am contented to sit and dwell with You continually in the heavenlies while on earth. All things are under our feet. As I sit in Your presence, I sit at Your feet and watch for Your decisions continually. With our mutual loyalty through the salt covenant I am ready to lay down my life for You as You did for me. Your presence goes with me continually, and Your promises are mine in manifestation. Thank you, Lord Jesus! Love you! Amen.”

Remember dear ones, we must be about our Father’s business…