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The lady was pale and wasted; extremely debilitated from battling the long fight for her life, she seemed as though a gust of wind could have toppled her. Her hair was nearly non-existent under her colorful scarf. It was almost as if you could see right through her if she stood in front of a strong light.  Her very presence was amazing.  She was one of the attendees at the launching service of a mission church, the wife of a minister who was participating in the service, and had been battling cancer for quite some time, enduring a long series of harrowing chemotherapy regimens. Unless you’ve been through it personally, you can’t imagine how incredibly difficult and incapacitating chemotherapy really is, or just exactly how hard it is to live with the ravages of the disease. I got a fair idea of the toll of her battle from her appearance that night. Yet she was there. She endured a car ride of several hours to be a part of what God was doing there that evening, and I could not help but admire her, but it was more than that. It was the will to be there, – it emanated from her – to participate in the face of adversity. It was the determination not to miss out on anything that God has to offer because of circumstances. No Excuses. Maybe that sounds a little cliché, but shouldn’t it be the state of mind for every child of God?

The Psalm in the daily office for that particular day was Psalm 91. I remember weeping inexplicably as I read it then, although I’d read it many times, and count it among my most cherished passages.  It speaks of safety, of being in a place so secure that, even with trouble close at hand, it does not come near us. That place of security is where we should dwell, under the shadow of the Almighty, in the refuge and fortress of God, covered by His feathers, under His wings. It is the assurance of satisfaction, peace and contentment as we place our trust in our Heavenly Father. It is the promise of being borne up by His angels, to keep us from stumbling. It’s all that, but that day the Holy Spirit gave me a fresh insight about this psalm – the secret place is the city of God, His dwelling place! Our faith and obedience to Him brings us to that place, so that no matter how difficult or troublesome the circumstances in our lives, His promise is that we have a refuge of complete safety to inhabit, to remain in firmly and steadfastly, a place upon which to fix our attention!  When I saw that lady, I realized why this particular psalm had so moved my heart. She was living – dwelling in, abiding in, inhabiting – the secret place. There was probably no way in the physical that she could have made that trip, but she determined in her heart to overcome by moving beyond excuses, even legitimate ones, by fastening her attention to, and stepping into that City. The faith and obedience she displayed was an act of will, but it allowed her to tap into a supernatural strength beyond the human limitations. God, in all likelihood, never demanded or required that she go. By His mercy, she would have been blessed even if she had said, “I just cannot possibly make that trip.”

In Philippians 4:11-13, we read

“….I have learned whatever state I am in to be content: I know how to be abased, and I know how to abound. Everywhere and in all things I have learned both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

This is more than just a verse of encouragement to help us get through the tough times. It is a way of life, a frame of mind for the believer. It is instruction to us to exterminate the weeds of excuses that threaten to choke out our resolve to determine that nothing will stand in our way of obedience to God, even in the small things. Even in the big things. Especially in the impossible things – and we all know how formidable the impossible can be. Staring adversity in the face while you ease your toe over the line in the sand can cause some serious sweating! Stepping out of the boat is pretty scary, and the reasons one could give for staying in the boat seem pretty logical. In fact, stepping out into a storm-tossed sea could be interpreted as being, well, deranged! Where is your resolve going to land you? Are you going to play it safe? Are you going to listen to the voice of “reason” and stay put in rational, familiar territory? After all, everyone says it would be less than smart to take a risk like that! But God says otherwise. He says, “Come on, I’ll hold you up. You can, by my strength. Obey Me and dwell – abide, inhabit – within the Secret Place of safety that is beyond the scope of the world’s understanding.”

The Word of God is full of risk-takers, and I could list them by the dozen. But I really only want to convey this to you: Your boldness to obey, trust in, and rely on God puts you where your real safety is – in the secret place of the Most High, the shadow of the Almighty, your refuge and fortress; the Kingdom that is not of this world. In the middle of turmoil, in the midst of adversity – illness, job, or lack of one, family trouble, needs, heartbreak, betrayal, whatever – if you can be daring enough to step out in obedience, your faith will put you in the place of safety. It will become your new address! You can do all things through Him, because He has surrounded you. You can be satisfied in little or much, in good times or bad, because He has enabled you to be safe, no matter how close at hand destruction may seem. You can abide in His strength and safety – in His Dwelling Place, the Secret Place.

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