Psalm 27:5 (Hiding Place)

“For he will hide me in his shelter in the day of trouble; he will conceal me under the cover of his tent; he will lift me high upon a rock” (Psalm 27:5).

Storms can be beautiful and terrifying at the same time. When thunder roars and lightning crashes, we marvel at the majesty of God’s creation yet bow our knees in prayer when calamity threatens our lives. The abrupt crack of lightning coupled with the deep rumble of thunder can heighten our senses but also increase our respect of God who spoke creation into existence.

Creation can teach us incredible wisdom about the majesty of the Lord. He is greater than an EF-5 tornado and more powerful than a Cat-5 hurricane. He is mightier than a flash flood and more consuming than a forest fire. He can split the earth in two with a volcanic eruption or calm the raging seas by the mere sound of His voice.

“And Jesus awoke and rebuked the wind and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ And the wind ceased, and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39).

Truly, the Lord is unquenchable, incomparable, and sovereign. We cannot begin to wrap our minds around the enormity of His surpassing greatness. Why then do we fear the terror of the night? Who can stop the plan and purpose of the Lord? What force of nature or power of darkness could even attempt to overpower the One who spoke creation into existence? Simply stated: NO ONE!

“For the LORD of hosts has purposed, and who will annul it? His hand is stretched out, and who will turn it back?” (Isaiah 14:27).

CENTER OF ATTENTION:

The picture King David paints in Psalm 27:5 provides context to how God sovereignly protects us. In that day, the “shelter” he referenced was the pavilion. It was embroidered with colored tapestry and richly furnished to demonstrate royalty and extravagance.

It was also located at the center of the encampment which meant it was heavily guarded by armed soldiers. If an enemy sought to attack, they would have to break through multiple layers of highly trained warriors to have any shot at reaching the shelter of the King, let alone possessing the ability to penetrate it.

From a spiritual perspective, we can imagine countless legions of angels surrounding the tabernacle of the Lord. It would take eternity itself to break through the unending layers of protection God has at His disposal, and that is where He places us in our greatest hour of need, directly at the center of His impenetrable fortress.

It begs the question: do we recognize the immense layers of protection we have at our disposal in the spiritual realm? “For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 6:12).

Similarly, Elisha the prophet prayed that God would open the eyes of his servant who was overcome with fear in their great hour of need. At that moment, Elisha’s servant learned that the Lord has complete power and dominion over the forces of this world. Thus, there is no need to fear because mankind will never defeat the armies of the Lord.

“When the servant of the man of God rose early in the morning and went out, behold, an army with horses and chariots was all around the city. And the servant said, ‘Alas, my master! What shall we do?’ He said, ‘Do not be afraid, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.’ Then Elisha prayed and said, ‘O LORD, please open his eyes that he may see.’ So the LORD opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw, and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:15–17).

UNLIMITED ACCESS:

Oftentimes, we cower in the face of danger and adversity because we assume our ability to survive is based on human strength, not divine intervention. Rarely do we stop and realize that He who spoke creation into existence is our heavenly shield, and He will not be shaken by the schemes of the enemy.

“And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18).

Incredibly, as Psalm 27:5 affirms, the Lord conceals us under the cover of His tent, the holy tabernacle, where His presence resides. In those days, no one entered the “holy of holies” except the high priest, and he was allowed to enter only once a year. No ordinary man could enter the holy of holies and live to tell about it, for the Lord is an all-consuming fire.

“Therefore let us be grateful for receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, and thus let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:28–29).

Comparatively, it is unfathomable that we can speak directly to God. What a privilege to be given unlimited access to our sovereign Creator! If we are born-again in Christ, we are welcome to sit in His presence whenever we choose. Such an honor would have been incomprehensible over 2,000 years ago, yet today we have full access to the Lord’s heart at any given moment. All we must do is call upon the name of Jesus and accept His gift of salvation by grace through faith.

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me” (Galatians 2:20).

FIRM FOUNDATION:

Psalm 27:5 ends by foreshadowing the rock of ages, Jesus Christ, as our chief cornerstone and firm foundation. In a world where relative truth is prominent, resting firmly upon the absolute truth of Scripture is the lifeblood of our divine protection, for Jesus is the manifestation of God’s Word personified—the immovable rock in whom we trust.

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God” (John 1:1).

“And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth” (John 1:14).

Scripture affirms our faith by giving proper context to what we believe as Christians. Keep in mind, there is a reason why Satan chose to undermine God’s Word in the garden of Eden by tempting Eve to question the validity of what the Lord spoke.

Satan knew that if he could get Eve to distrust what God said, she would yield to temptation and inevitably fall victim to sin and death. That strategy has worked for thousands of years since that day, and it is still the enemy’s primary strategy of attack to isolate our minds and lead us into temptation.

“Now the serpent was more crafty than any other beast of the field that the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, ‘Did God actually say, “You shall not eat of any tree in the garden”?’” (Genesis 3:1).

Truly, in our moment of need, our recollection of the promises of God’s Word can mean the difference between victory and defeat. The challenge is we must spend quality time in Scripture to not merely know what it says but why it matters and how to apply it. In other words, we must know how to wield the sword of the Spirit for it to be effective at protecting us.

BOTTOM-LINE:

We can be confident that He who began a good work in us will ensure our needs are met and souls protected for eternity. God is not worried about tomorrow for He holds the future in His hands. Therefore, we can sleep peacefully knowing He is in control at all times and will ensure that no harm comes to us eternally.

Rest assured, not only can we stand on the firm foundation of Christ, but we can rejoice that we are hemmed in from all sides and every angle by the rock of salvation. All we must do is surrender our lives to him and follow the light of His Spirit, for the enemy will not prosper against the saints of God because we are the bridegroom of our Lord and Savior and heirs to the kingdom of heaven.

“Behold, I have created the smith who blows the fire of coals and produces a weapon for its purpose. I have also created the ravager to destroy; no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD” (Isaiah 54:16–17).