The Secret Place

December 1, 2021

“Those who dwell in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” —Psalm 91:1

In the UM minister’s service handbook, these words are front and center for use in funerals, and over the years, I’ve quoted this verse countless times in such contexts. They are well-worn words that have become so familiar that they’ve lost much of their meaning. What is actually being said here? What is this secret place, and how does one get to it, let alone dwell there?

No explanation is given in the text itself, but Israel’s history suggests that it may be the Holy of Holies in the temple. It was secret in the sense that only the high priest could enter it, and that only once per year. And yet, this psalm speaks of dwelling there, taking up residence in the presence of a God so holy that to gaze upon his face meant instant death. Most of us would be doing well to occasionally visit this secret place, and we wonder why instead of the shadow of the Almighty protecting us from the glare of the desert sun of this world that leaves us parched, we find ourselves exposed to the withering blast of its heat.

In the past six months, Linda and I have walked with people through the valley of the shadow of death, a very different shadow than the one God offers. We’ve joined others praying for friends and families bending low beneath the burden of sickness, quarantine,  and all they see on the nightly news. Kids are struggling in school, trying to survive behind masks that constrict not only their breathing, but their ability to interact with one another. Life can be hard, and we in this country are only dealing with a fraction of what is happening in some places.

The temple was guarded to keep unauthorized people out. That includes us, unless we have the sanction of the High Priest, Jesus. He invites us not only to come, but to live in this Holy Place, but to do so, we must leave whatever place we are currently occupying. We cannot dwell in the secret place of the Most High if we refuse to leave the ghettos of our present life. Jesus said, “Abide in me.” It isn’t enough to be a visitor, a tourist. In Christ is my home; only in him am I sheltered from the blast and heat of the day. In him I live and move, and have my being, my dwelling place.