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Those who live in the shelter of the Most High 
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 
This I declare about the Lord: 
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; 
he is my God, and I trust him. 
–Psalm 91:1–2

I will tip my hand—the refuge described here is not merely a state of mind, an assurance for the heart. It is an ontological experience—palpable, enjoyable, an encounter with God. Our being can actually take refuge within the being of God. We can experience being surrounded with the presence of God and his mighty Kingdom in the same way we can jump into the ocean. Situated there, we can go on to experience many other realities of our God and his heavens.

Psalm 91 may have been written by Moses; some Jewish traditions believe so. The previous psalm (90) is attributed directly to Moses. Think of the conditions that Moses, his family, and his community were living under when they experienced in the fullest sense God as their refuge. They were slaves—the children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren of slaves—wandering in a barren wilderness something like the surface of the moon for forty years. Forty years. They were hunted, constantly vigilant against nomadic raiders, having no clear vision yet of the Promised Land.

I would suggest it was somewhat traumatizing (living in constant uncertainty is traumatizing).

And yet Moses, a mystic who spoke with God face-to-face, “as a man speaks to his friend” could say of God, “you have always been our home” (Psalm 90:1 GNT).

God is the home of every human soul. We are from him in every sense of the word. He thought of us before he created the world; he knit us together in our mother’s womb; he breathed the Breath of Life into each one of us. All the days of our life were written in his book for us before one came to be. The mystery of this is exquisite, moving the poet William Blake to say,

But trailing clouds of glory do we come 
From God, who is our home.

This is key to embracing the reality ourselves, for if we come from God, then returning to him would be natural; we would be welcome there. We might even remember the way, in our heart of hearts. Can we forget the prodigal son, who though lost and dissolute could still turn for home? He knew in his heart it was still there.

The Most High, our Father, is the ultimate dwelling place. Here we discover true comfort, security, and rest. But even more, he is the source of all healing of human trauma. He truly restores the soul as we take refuge in him.

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