Psalm 91:1-2 – King James Version (KJV):
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and fortress: my God: in him will I trust.”
Psalm 91:1-2 – Amplified Bible, Classic Edition (AMPC)
“He who [a]dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand].
I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!”
“What is your address?” It’s one of the most basic questions when you meet someone, especially in a professional setting like Estate Planning. In fact, it is question #2 in my long list of questions. Usually, people think that it’s just a routine question and needed basically for any correspondence that may get mailed through what we refer to now as “snail mail”. However, there is another follow-up to this question that I ask later in the interview that is very relevant as it relates to the question: “What is your address?”
1. Dwell – abide – say
Where someone lives determines a lot about a person and their lifestyle. It determines how accessible they are to amenities, like grocery stores, the post office, etc. It determines basic safety. For example, some areas are statistically more safe than others and have lower crime rates. Also, where someone lives determines their internal organization. For example, if someone lives in an apartment, they may not have lots of space to have a home office. However, if someone lives in the country, they may be able to grow their own food and raise livestock. They may be more “self sufficient”. There are also details about the structure of the dwelling. For example, are there tiny closets which cause clothing and other things to pile up? Or, is there a huge walk in closet with a dressing area with lots of organization for shoes, clothes, and bags? Does the dwelling have a washer and dryer or do you have to set aside time to take the laundry to be done elsewhere?
As you can see, although it may seem basic, where someone lives determines a lot about a person and their lifestyle.
Psalms 91:1 says that whoever dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. For the Christian, our dwelling place should be the secret place of the most High. If we are dwelling there, then we abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Our dwelling place determines our safety, our peace, our health, our prosperity, and authority over every thing in life. If we are dwelling in the secret place of the most High, then our lifestyle is going to reflect the Blessing. It will begin in this spiritual place and then descend into the other areas of our life – to our soul, and physical body.
The word abide has a more permanent connotation. Abide is continual. It is lasting, not temporary. So, if we are abiding under the shadow of the Almighty, then we are protected. We are spared from the heat of the fire. We are just in the shadow, a cooler place. We can’t get burned or scorched. We are also have a layer between us and the curse. It is the shadow of the Almighty – the most powerful boundary line there is. It is made possible by the blood of Jesus. In my daily prayers and confessions, I enforce a blood line around me and my family. This is abiding under the shadow of the Almighty because of my dwelling place.
Next, I have to speak concerning my dwelling place and where I abide. I will SAY of the Lord, He is my refuge and fortress. I will SAY that He is my God, in him will I trust. I can think or wish all I want, but this Psalms 91:2 is specific. I must SAY with my mouth. All throughout the Bible, it is made clear that we are spirits made in the image of God and we are made to speak. The word is powerful – more powerful than most people think or realize. Literally, our words are life and death. We must choose what words we will speak. Over and over, we are reassured that the words that we speak will come to pass. This is especially powerful if we speak God’s word. Then, we are in agreement with God. Where two or more are in agreement, the Bible says, we can expect that what we agree on will come to pass.
So, we must SAY that God is our God. We must SAY that we will trust in God. Then, all the other benefits and privileges in the rest of Psalms 91 are ours. God will deliver us from the snare of the fowler. Thousands can fall all around us, but it shall not come near us. We can crush the enemy. God will deliver us. He will give us long life and show us all of the Blessing!
2. Put my trust in Him – spiritually funded
When we SAY of the Lord that we put our trust in Him, what does that really mean?
In legal planning, a trust can be thought of as a legal entity which is generally created for personal Estate Planning. When I explain a trust to clients, I try and get them to picture a bucket. That bucket is a trust. When the bucket is created, assets go into that bucket or trust. Depending on the type of trust created there are different benefits that then apply to those assets inside the trust. Some benefits may include avoiding probate, incapacity planning, asset protection, as well as numerous other benefits. When assets go into a trust, we call that “funding” the trust. In order for benefits to be applied to the assets, the assets MUST be funded into the trust. If you want more explanation regarding trusts, I have provided a link here to other articles I have written.
When I think about Psalms 91:2, I think that this means we must be spiritually funded. What I mean is that I must put my trust in Him. I must completely put all of my trust in Him! If I leave any trust out (which is really unbelief), then it does not receive His benefits. It is that simple. Either my faith is in Him or it is in something else. That is simple but very powerful. Let’s use a real life situation. If a doctor gives you a terrible diagnosis, what do you do? You turn to the word of God which is absolute truth. (You really have to settle that for yourself because it is a foundational principle.) The word of God says in Isaiah 53:5 that by Jesus’ stripes we were healed. We know that it is impossible for God to lie. So, what is stated in Isaiah 53:5 must be absolute truth. Therefore, I will put my trust in Him (His word). I have completely funded my faith into Him. That is what Psalms 91:2 is saying. It is complete and absolute. I will leave nothing out. If I do that, then I receive all those benefits – the Blessing – which includes healing and wholeness.
I know that some people reading this may stop here because you have had bad experiences and your faith has been targeted. However, be encouraged. And, by the way, I am not the author of the word of God. So, you need to work out your faith with the author and finisher of our faith – Jesus Himself (Hebrews 12:2).
The takeaway here is that we must be fully funded – all in! We put our trust in Him fully and completely. Nowhere does it say that we could partially do this and it would work out well. We have to commit and focus on His absolute truth – because it NEVER changes.
3. Thoughts about dwellings, natural locations, distances, clean, organized, residence v domicile, need change of address form b/c mail is being routed to you and is not direct real estate (where you dwell – in the secret place) in trust – in him will I trust and all other assets in trust