Rest in the Shadow

Chapter 1 
Psalm 91, whose author is unknown, was written for encouragement and personal application. Through the centuries many have literally carried this psalm in their pockets and in their hearts as they have left for battle or left their mother countries to go to foreign shores. 
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress my God in whom I trust.’” vs. 1 and 2 
The descriptive nature of this psalm presents God as a competent protector whose sovereign covering over His children keeps them safe from possible intruders who may attempt to lay siege to this fortress. These verses are personalized by the use of the first person pronouns I and my. It is written so that we may also personalize this text in application to our lives which will identify ownership- not that we have ownership but that we are owned. We have been bought with a price as one ransomed to be set free. 
I have always pictured this place of safety as a mountain fortress, perhaps because of Psalm 121:1, “I will lift my eyes to the mountains; from whence shall my help come? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” [NAS] This mountain shelter makes us think of Moses who met with God on Mount Sinai. God spoke to Moses “So it shall be, while My glory passes by, that I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and will cover you with my hand while I pass by.” [Exodus 33:22 NKJV] King David also found safety in the mountain cave. “David therefore departed from there and escaped to the cave of Adullam.” [I Samuel 22:1] The secret place of the caves or the clefts of the mountain walls are only temporary places of safety. God’s gift is long-term rest and refuge in His place of dwelling. 
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The two names for God in verse one would help to validate this visual. The Hebrew translation, El-Elyon, means “the Most High God,” which stresses His sovereignty and strength. El-Shaddai, also found in verse one, is usually translated into English as “God Almighty,” but is sometimes identified as “the God of the mountains.” The visual of this mountain fortress may lead to a presumption that God is far away and unreachable. That is not the picture painted by the writer of this psalm, as we will see in the verses to come. 
“Rest in the Shadow” is a beautiful visual of God’s provision of comfort for His child who abides in His presence. A young lady once told me of growing up in New Mexico where the summer sun would scorch the sands that made up her playground. To escape the burning sand she found refuge for her bare feet in the shade of an occasional tree. So, she would run from tree to tree in order to rest in the shadow seemingly cast for her personal comfort and pleasure. The shadow cooled the sand, and resting in the shade of the tree brought relief to her small feet. 
The promises found in this psalm are available to every believer but are not enjoyed by all who call themselves His children, for what is described through the entirety of this psalm is only for those who choose an intimate relationship with “the Almighty.” All who are children of God, adopted into His family, have the opportunity for this fellowship and protection, and though we are heirs to all the riches God has available and has supplied for us, we do not partake in this wonderful inheritance. All of us do not “dwell in the shelter.” 
Charles Haddon Spurgeon, the great English preacher of the nineteenth century, said, “They run to it at times, and enjoy occasional approaches, but they do not habitually reside in the mysterious presence.” [C.H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Volume 2, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers), 88] 
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The key in understanding the depth of verse one in Psalm 91is found in the word dwell. Perhaps the exchange of the words reside, live or abide for the word dwell will give us a better perspective as we look at the invitation offered by a loving Father. 
Let us begin here. 
As a child I always felt happy and safe when spending the night at my grandmother’s house. I do not know that I could put my finger on the reason, but there was much security in being in her home. There were some things I was sure of when visiting that mountain home in Arkansas, such as a soft, warm bed where a night’s sleep went uninterrupted until morning, and a hot breakfast that only Grandma could make. The smells from the humble kitchen of hot biscuits and bacon would intrude on my comfortable resting place. The sense of unconditional love and familiar laughter was my encouragement to run and place my small arms around her aproned waist. 
Joel 3:16b says, “But the Lord will be a shelter for His people.” 
The presence of God brings security, just as the absence of His presence brings anxious and often fearful thoughts. Psalm 121:3 reads, “He will not allow your foot to slip; He who keeps you will not slumber. 4. Behold, He who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 5. The Lord is your keeper; The Lord is your shade on your right hand. 6. The sun will not smite you by day, nor the moon by night. 7. The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. 8. The Lord will guard your going out or your coming in from this time forth and forever.” 
This sister psalm identifies the protection offered by God to those who belong to Him. The significance of the word “shade” in verse 5 infers comfort as does the word “shadow” in Psalm 91:2. Let me say here that God is not just providing protection for our safety, He is our protection, He is our rest and He is our peace. Protection, rest and peace are located in God Himself. It is our God who is with us and our Christ who is in us who provide such pleasures. 
The following is a quote from Mary Duncan found in the text of her 1867 writing, Under the Shadow. 
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High.” What intimate and unrestrained communion does this describe! – the Christian in everything making known his heart, with its needs and wishes, its thoughts and feelings, its doubts and anxieties, its sorrows and its joys, to God, as to a loving , perfect friend. And all is not on one side. This Almighty Friend has admitted His chosen one to His secret place. It is almost too wonderful to be true. It is almost too presumptuous a thought for such creatures as we to entertain. But He himself permits it, desires it, and teaches us to realize that it is communion to which He calls us. “The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him.” And what is the secret? It is that in God which the world neither knows, nor sees, nor cares to enjoy. It is His mind revealed to those that love Him, His plans and ways and thoughts open to them. Yea, and things hid from angels are manifest to the least of His friends, (I Peter 1:12). He wishes us to know Him, and by His Word and by His Spirit He puts Himself before us. Ah! It is not His fault if we do not know Him. It is our carelessness. [C.H. Spurgeon, The Treasury of David, Volume 2, (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers), 95] 
It is in this “shelter” or “secret place” where His Shekinah glory lights up the entire room to dispel the darkness that hides the frightening unknowns. 
It is the fear of the unknowns which often cripples us and causes retreat to the safety of our small candle lit corner. God has prepared a light-filled mansion that uncovers every possible obstacle or obstruction which was previously hidden in the dark