“Treasures from the Secret Place”

Chapter 5

Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty
Psalm 91:1b

Abide under a shadow? You’ve got to be kidding. Shadows aren’t safe, are they? Yet David says that those who dwell in the secret place, abide under a Shadow.

Let’s see why David thinks this Shadow is a great place.

The word “under” means just that, but the word shadow has some interesting twists.

Shadow
6738- from 6751
• defense

6751- from 6749
• hovering over

<6749> primitive root
• to tumble down
• settle by a waving motion
• sink
Another concordance says:
• to sink, be submerged; To be hid, to disappear

This Shadow is more than a shelter. It is more than just a roof on poles with open sides to keep the sun or rain off. It is a hiding place that you can enter and no longer be visible to the outside world. You can disappear in this shadowing place of the Almighty.

Colossians 3:3 NIV says,
“For you died, and your life is now hidden with Christ in God.”

Is there more to it? Let’s look at the Hebrew and dig a little deeper.

The Shadow:
6738. A masculine noun meaning a shade, a shadow. This word is frequently used as a symbol for protection or refuge.
Tzade 90 = Humility. Means: Righteousness, Fishhook, to Pull Toward, Desire, Trouble, Harvest

Lamed 30 = Blood of Messiah, Dedication to a task. Means: Staff, Goad or Stick, to Teach or Instruct, Authority, to Control, Urge Forward, a Tongue

To be UNDER THE SHADOW is to be in humility and righteousness, under the blood of Messiah, with His authority as our covering and His instruction for our guide. This is much more than a beach umbrella.

~ Journal Notes ~

This is our invitation:
“Be still. Be at rest. There is no shadow of turning in Me. I am consistent. I am the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. Though your experience with Me changes from day to day, hour to hour, I do not change. I am Love, I am Life, I am Peace, Joy, Wisdom, Mercy, Power, Justice. I am and forever will be the same. That means I am your ever present help. I will never leave you or forsake you. I will not fail you. I will fulfill all that I have spoken.”

“You are My chosen one. Nothing can come against My call and purpose for your life except your choices. I’ve prepared you for this season and this season is a preparation for the next. Rest in Me. Rest under the shadow of the Almighty.”

~~~
Graham Cooke tells of a dream he had where he was being hotly pursued by a group of thugs. They were gaining on him but just when he thought he was toast, he looked up only to see them race past him, as if he weren’t there. He found himself encapsulated in a chamber that allowed him to see out but remain unseen by those on the outside.

Our secret place in Jesus is just such a place. No foe can or will enter because the Almighty God, Ruler of heaven and earth, Sustainer of all that is or was or will be, the Captain of the hosts of heaven and Lord over every principality and power is overshadowing us. They wouldn’t dare enter, plus when we are IN Him, they are so blinded by His presence that we are unseen.

Let’s finish out this verse. Abide under the shadow of the ‘Almighty.’ That’s right, it isn’t just any shadow. It is the shadow of the Almighty.

Almighty is another one of those words that gets lost in our contemporary world of super heroes and oversized everything.

Almighty—
7706
• the Almighty

<7703> primitive root
• powerful
• impregnable
• to utterly (lay) waste

Looking in Fausset’s Bible Dictionary we get this definition for Shaddai:

Almighty
• “to be strong.”
• devastating tempest
• He who is
• All-sufficient

Therefore, by definition, he who dwells in the secret place has the promise that the shadow of the Almighty will cover them, hide them and provide for them completely.

Let’s look at the Hebrew text:

the Almighty: El Shaddai
7706. šadday: A masculine noun and name for God meaning Shaddai, Almighty. The word occurs only forty-eight times in the Hebrew Bible, thirty-one times in the book of Job. This is a name for the Lord—the Old Testament people of faith referring to Him as El Shaddai, God Almighty. The term is found in the passages that report God’s promises of fertility, land, and abundance to them, indicating that He, the Almighty, could fulfill His promises (Gen 17:1; 28:3; 35:11).

Shin 300 = Victory of good over evil, Holy Spirit. Means: Teeth, Fire, the Fire of God to consume all His enemies, Devour, Destroy, Something Sharp.
Dallet 4 = Earth or creation. Means: Door, Gate, Impoverished man
Yod 10 = The outcome, the completion of something. Means: Hand, Right Arm, Power – Right hand of God’s power, a Deed Done, to Work, to Cover, Allow, Hollow, Open Hand, also refers to the Holy Spirit as it always hangs in the air overseeing

When we dwell in the secret place we abide under Holy Spirit fire of God, who consumes our enemies at the door, with His overseeing right hand of power.

This shadow provides security and provision unmatched by anything this world has to offer.

~ Journal Notes ~

“I am not god with a little “g”. I am GOD Almighty—All Powerful, All Knowing, All Love, All Justice, All Mercy. Once you see ME clearly, you will follow with total abandon.”

~~~

When we choose to move into the secret place of the Most High, we become acquainted with the One Who is the Source of every breath we breathe. We soon discover that only IN HIM do we live and move and have our being. Outside of Him and complete surrender to Him, we are functioning on our own power, which is just plain stupid.

We have the source of all power, all resources, all that is good living in us. Why would we in good conscience turn to any other source?

Job 22:21a says, “Acquaint now thyself with Him and be at peace.”

We all need to move in and get to know the One who loves us more than His very life

                                                       ~ Journal Notes ~

“Nothing can come against My call and purpose for your life except your choices. Rest in Me. Rest under the shadow of the Almighty.”

“Let truth be your shield—your door to shut out the lies and taunting of the enemy. I am the door of the sheepfold. Let Me stand and My Word stand guard over you. This is always available. Call on Me for truth in every time of confusion, fear, temptation, and attack. Call on Me and I will reveal the truth that you need to overcome and remain (abide) under the shadow of your impregnable God, the One Who lies beside you and across the entrance to your soul to be on guard to attack and anything that would keep you from My purposes for you.”

Psalm 91:1 HE WHO 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]. AMP

Prayer

Father, how lovely is Your dwelling place. Help me to put aside every other thing that pulls for my affection or attention and settle into the secret place with You. Help me to rest under the shadow of the Almighty, with complete confidence that You are able to overcome all the enemies of my soul. There is no place I’d rather be than hidden in you.
Amen