Under the shadow of the Almighty
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1
The Secret Place of the Most High is always available to anyone who dares to ask the Lord for refuge in a time of trouble. I know many people who, although they had no prior relationship to Jesus, experienced unexplainable intervention in awful situations when they simply asked Him for help. Without realizing it, they had stumbled into His Secret Place.
But did you know that this Secret Place was actually created to become your dwelling and not merely a safe place to run to during tough times? How do you find your way there permanently? Jesus said, “I am the Way”; and once you decide to make Him your home, He in turn, will make you HIS home. He said of this living arrangement, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).
The effect of making Him—the Most High—your dwelling place is this: You will live, 24/7, under His protective, far-reaching shadow.
Priceless benefits become yours when you abide under His shadow—and they are yours for a lifetime.
Proximity
When you are under the shadow of God, He is near, close enough to block incoming attacks of every kind. His arm is not so short that He cannot save you, nor is His ear deaf to your cries (see Isaiah 59:1). No; He is right there, present with you, His shadow hovering over you, and He will hear your cry and will grasp you firmly with His hand, pulling you out of harm’s way. His proximity is a Shadow benefit.
Hiddenness
Playing hide and seek as a kid, I loved hiding in deep foliage. As I sneaked away into the shadowy places, staying still, no one could ever find me. Think about the gift of camouflage with which God clothes little fawns. As they stand motionless in the shadows mixed with sunlight through the leaves above, they remain undetected by roaming predators. And as YOU remain steadfast, trusting Him during times of peril, His shadow will keep you hidden as danger passes by. Hiddenness is a Shadow benefit.
Refreshing
When I first wrote this, my area was under a multi-day excessive heat warning. Going outside was just shy of stepping into Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego’s blazing furnace! On those daily walks around my neighborhood, the shade from large trees offered refreshing oases of cool as I passed under them. Yet as relieving as walking through deep shade on a sweltering day may feel, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty will restore your soul. The incessant heat of this culture’s raging turmoil, bent on sapping energy and strength, rolls off of you when you frequently find your way into the Secret Place. Refreshing is a Shadow benefit.
Miracles
In the early days of the church, miraculous healings were expected underneath a shadow. You see, signs and wonders were taking place at the hands of the apostles; Peter was preaching, and the fear of God was heavy upon the people. Many were being saved; and the sick were being carried out into the streets and laid on cots and pallets…just to get a chance to be under Peter’s shadow as he passed by. Acts 5:16 states it plainly…the sick and afflicted were ALL being healed.
YOU are under a shadow of far greater effect than Peter’s. YOU are under the shadow of the ALMIGHTY, the miracle-working God. As you think on the security that is yours in this secret place under the shadow of His presence, you can boldly pour out your requests before Him—however impossible your situation may be—and know that He is here, listening, loving, and willing to move on your behalf. The miraculous is a Shadow benefit.
As you saturate yourself in the awareness of all the benefits that are yours under the shadow of the Almighty, those things will become more and more real to you; but don’t forget: All these blessings are yours because you have chosen to shelter in Secret Place with the Most High.
I pray you grow closer to Him day by day while abiding under the shadow of the Almighty,
© Dorothy Frick, 2021
Read MoreAllow the “joy invaders”
The Secret Place
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1
Secret place. There is a place set aside for you to meet with the Most High. It is tucked away, hidden from prying eyes and sneering faces. You first found it when you cried out alone to Him on your bed or stared wonderingly about Him into the starry night sky. Wherever you were, at whatever age you started this quest, you stumbled into the Secret Place of the Most High.
That time in the secret place may be but a memory of a different time in your life when you dared to venture into the Unknown called God. But the One of the Secret Place is ever present, ever anticipating, ever ready for a visit from you.
The Psalmist tells us that there are those who have actually made the Secret Place their home. They are no better than you; they merely found their way back to that spot so frequently that sooner or later they made it their address.
The One who provides you this Secret Place also offers the gift of faith necessary to dwell there permanently with Him. It is yours for the asking…but remember: He designed the Secret Place; you did not. You merely found your way there…and not without His help.
Once you make Him your home, the awkwardness of considering Him first in all areas of your life starts to fade away, and the adventure begins.
When you live in your physical home, storms may roar or blizzards may blow, but your roof and your walls keep you safe, dry and warm. When you make the Most High your dwelling place, you are under His roof, safe behind His walls…whether you are inside or out; soaring at cruise altitude through the sky or diving far beneath the waves; in the middle of a crowd or in an abandoned outpost at the remotest part of the earth…you are under His shadow. He is there, watching over you, listening for your call, ready to move on your behalf…because you are His. You have made Him your home.
Lord Jesus, Thank You for preparing the Secret Place for us. I receive You as my Home.
Dorothy
© Dorothy Frick, 2021
Read MoreWhat Esther can teach the Church
I’m reading through the book of Esther today. When I landed on chapter 4, I was amazed at its parallel to our time.
A decree had been issued (chapter 3) throughout Susa and the entire kingdom of King Ahasuerus (which stretched from India to Ethiopia, over 127 provinces according to chapter 1…think Afghanistan smack dab in the middle) to slaughter all Jews in one day and to seize their possessions as plunder. This decree was the brainchild of Haman, who had a personal grudge against Esther’s cousin Mordecai.
You see, Mordecai had refused to bow the knee to Mr. Haman…and that was a blow to Haman’s overinflated ego; and he concocted a plan to get the king to sign off on the mass genocide of Jews. Whenever genocide of any race, religion, or ethnicity is on the table, you better believe petty, unresolved EGO, JEALOUSY, and SIN are at the root of it all.
Chapter 4 opens with Mordecai discovering the diabolical plot of Haman, and his response is very eye-opening. Did he hide away, in the terror of alarm? Did he seek to flee to a distant land? NO. He tore his clothes and threw on sackcloth, the garb of public mourners, and went directly to the open square and to the palace gates, wailing loudly and bitterly.
Many of us do exactly that when we speak of grievances to others and post them publicly on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. We share videos and articles. We attend various meetings, rallies, and write to our Congress people. And, I believe, we are getting bolder in so doing.
But when Queen Esther found out that Mordecai was making a scene, she was OFFENDED. How do I know that? She sent a clean, respectable set of clothes for him to change into immediately. He refused.
At this point in the chapter, the question arose within me concerning our present state of affairs: In YOUR quest to make the truth of our current situation known, have you run into mockery? Scorn? Censorship? Even among your brothers and sisters in the Body of Christ or members of your own family? Are they DEMANDING you to squelch your growing concern? Does it make them uneasy? Angry? Esther was very uncomfortable with Mordecai’s open display of grievance.
Did her discomfort sway him? Absolutely not. He rejected his dearest relative’s offer to change into the clothing of status quo, and he was resolute in his refusal.
Verse 4 reveals that Esther writhed in agony at his rebuff of her “sound” offer. Perhaps your dearest friends don’t understand you; they worry about you; they have backed away from you. Perhaps they’ve INCREASED their pressure to get you to conform. Whatever may be your situation, you have become a pariah.
Fortunately, however, Esther was willing to research and step out of her comfort zone to learn an inconvenient truth. She sent to Mordecai to discover why he was so upset.
Then things got VERY interesting; from Mordecai she received the news that Haman had placed all Jews under a “seek and destroy” decree throughout the kingdom. ALL Jews. HER people. Mordecai sent her a copy of the very document that detailed the upcoming slaughter. Did Esther scream, “FAKE NEWS”?
No. Esther became red pilled.
Once YOU are red pilled to any agenda of harm, you need to act accordingly. God has given each of us varying gifts and talents, passions and pursuits in which He beckons us to act. You need to go before Him to hear Him for yourself. No one else can do that for you. Hear Him; and then DO what He says.
Esther, being the king’s wife, had a peculiar role to fulfill in this whole red pill experience. In those days, in the Medo/Persian area of the Middle East, women—including beloved wives—had little to no leverage, even in approaching their husbands.
But Esther knew she could not remain in the shadow of opulent anonymity; she had to approach the king despite the potential loss of her life. She had not seen her husband in thirty days; she probably wondered if he had decided she wasn’t quite what he wanted…maybe a new young thing had already caught his eye…
She risked enraging him, and then—death.
But now red pilled, Esther mustered all her courage; called for a three day fast; and declared that after the fast “I will go into the king, which is not according to the law, and if I perish, I perish” (verse 16).
Perhaps God in His wisdom is directing YOU to speak up and stand out contrary to our current cultural convention. He will make it clear to you as you seek Him…and then, like a godly soul from New Testament times declared when confronted accusingly by his culture, you can also say, “Whether it is right in the sight of God to give heed to you rather than God, you be the judge; for we cannot stop speaking about what we have seen and heard ” (Acts 4:19-20).
May the blessing of boldness be on you this hour,
Dorothy
© Dorothy Frick, 2021
Read MoreFreedom of speaking
…do not throw away your CONFIDENCE… Hebrews 10:35
CONFIDENCE here is the Greek word parresia, which means FREEDOM OF SPEAKING.
So, here is Hebrews 10:35 in its entirety using this definition:
Therefore, do not throw away your FREEDOM OF SPEAKING, which has a great reward.
In other words, you are not required to submit to the rules imposed upon you by those who do not fear God. You know—rules such as don’t talk about this; don’t refute that; never oppose culturally-held, unscriptural beliefs openly or publicly.
God’s Word gives you a different directive: Hold fast to your confidence. You have as much right to speak as anyone else. Speak Life. Speak Truth. Speak the unadulterated counsel of God.
Dorothy
© 2020, Dorothy Frick
Read More