There’s no place like home . . . no place like the place where you hang your hat at night. It should be a safe place . . . a familiar and comfortable place . . . a place where you no longer have to “be on” but can be yourself. It’s the place that puts a roof over your head . . . protection from the elements . . . that which comes between you and the storm. It’s been called a man’s castle . . . less about a domain to rule over, I think, but more a place of security. For me, home has always been the place where I can retreat . . . where I can relax . . . where I can recharge. Home, it’s been said, is where the heart is. And this morning, as I chew on Psalm 91, the songwriter leads me to consider that God, the Most High Himself, is my home . . . my safe place . . . the roof over my head . . . the castle walls of my security . . . the place where I can retreat, refocus, and recharge . . . the place where, by His grace, my heart is. He is my dwelling place.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”    (Psalm 91:1-2 ESV)

Sitting here, noodling on the idea of God as a place to dwell . . . the Almighty as the realm in which I make my habitation . . . the Most High as the ground upon which I pitch my tent. While the idea of God as a dwelling place isn’t new to me, I don’t know how much I’ve meditated on its implications. But the psalmist sees a very clear connection . . . dwelling place equal’s protective place.

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place–the Most High, who is my refuge–no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent.    (Psalm 91:9-10 ESV)

I don’t think the psalmist is saying here that bad things don’t happen to God-dwelling people . . . otherwise he wouldn’t have penned verses 14 through 16 (we’ll get to those). But when I think about the plague, I think about Moses and Pharoah . . . and the judgment delivered upon a hard-hearted, God-defying people . . . the evil that was brought on those who trusted in the gods of Egypt. For those who have made God their dwelling place, there is no judgment . . . no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus (Rom. 8:1) . . . His substitutionary death on my behalf having rescued me God’s just reckoning . . . His atoning sacrifice having delivered me from the place of danger and afforded me a room within His eternally secure home.

And it’s a safe house not just for the future . . . but a place sufficient to weather the storms here and now.

“Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My name. When he calls to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”   (Psalm 91:14-16 ESV)

The psalmist switches to “God speaking” mode. Hear the words of the Almighty . . . drink deep of His grace filled cisterns . . . feed on the promises of His Word. Protection . . . deliverance . . . His presence . . . His rescue . . . His favor. Satisfied in Him . . . salvation through Him.

And the other thing I see in these closing verses are some clues as to what dwelling in God looks like. It’s holding fast to Him with hearts of adoration. It’s knowing His name . . . the essence of His character . . . the shining of His glory, And, it’s calling to Him . . . seeking His shelter in the storm . . . abiding in the strength of His presence.

There’s no place like home. And though the analogy of our earthly homes comes up way short for many in painting a picture of the refuge that is in God through Christ, my God is faithful . . . His promises are dependable . . . His dwelling place eternal.

He is my dwelling place . . . my home . . . the place where my heart is . . . by His grace . . . for His glory.