Abiding in God's Presence
In the Bible we are told, "He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." Ps. 91:1; Then follow God's promises to guard us from every kind of harm. We are told that if we dwell in "the secret place" no evil shall befall us, for God shall give His angels, or spiritual intuitions, charge over us.
What a joyous, Love-filled promise! No evil to befall us! However, these assurances are made not to those who merely visit "the secret place" each day for a short period of time, make occasional calls, or flee to it when in trouble, but to those who dwell in it. "To dwell" means "to abide as a permanent resident ... to live in a place." "The secret place of the most High" is the sanctuary of God's presence. It is well to ask ourselves whether we have made an honest effort actually to dwell in that secret sanctuary where evil cannot come.
The writer had studied and contemplated this psalm daily for many years before she realized that the promises contained in its verses depend on or revolve around that wonderful first verse. She found it easy enough to keep herself in "the secret place" while she was studying the Lesson-Sermon from the Christian Science Quarterly and doing her daily metaphysical work, but when that was finished, she often left "the secret place" by letting into her consciousness such errors as criticism, discouragement, fatigue, regret for past mistakes, fear of the future, dislike of the work she was doing, self-pity, and so on.
Was it odd then that she ended the day by being tired, or could she honestly feel surprised that the plagues and dragons of the day had seemed quite real and sometimes almost overwhelming? Although she had remembered to claim momentarily the protection offered by this Word of God, she had failed to stay or abide where these errors could not reach her. From this time on she has made a diligent effort to correct this mistake, and the results have been most gratifying.
One Christian Scientist was heard to say, "When the going gets difficult, I just climb up in the ninety-first Psalm and stay there." A very wise move, but how much more protection one can experience if he learns to abide in God's presence, "the secret place," instead of climbing up into it only in times of distress.
Mrs. Eddy makes this statement: "The 'secret place,' whereof David sang, is unquestionably man's spiritual state in God's own image and likeness, even the inner sanctuary of divine Science, in which mortals do not enter without a struggle or sharp experience, and in which they put off the human for the divine." The First Church of Christ, Scientist, and Miscellany, p. 244;
Often we feel that difficult experiences are not fair, and we wonder why we must go through all this when we are living good human lives and think we are doing the best we can. But to make progress, we must sometimes be willing to cope with and overcome problems which seem difficult, trying, and unfair humanly. It may take much faith, patience, study, and effort to continue consciously in the presence of the Most High every minute of the day.
Christ Jesus dwelt always in "the secret place." Even from the age of twelve he was about his Father's business. The account of the temptations with which Jesus was confronted during his wilderness experience and response to them show us how firmly entrenched he was in the consciousness of his Father's ever-presence. This protected him from yielding in any degree to the aggressive evil suggestions of the carnal, or mortal, mind.
Jesus taught men to pray in secret, in the secret chamber of consciousness which knows no evil. In the closet, or "secret place," with the door closed to error, our prayers will not be for material things but for a more perfect understanding of God's spiritual ideas, which already exist and of which we need to become conscious.
In her beautiful poem "The Mother's Evening Prayer," Mrs. Eddy tells us,
Beneath the shadow of His mighty wing;
In that sweet secret of the narrow way,
Seeking and finding, with the angels sing:
"Lo, I am with you alway,"—watch and pray. Poems, p. 4.
Watching and praying, we learn step by step to abide in "the secret place," the sacred presence of God. Then, though the way may sometimes appear to be beset with difficulties, we can rest assured that God's angels are guarding and guiding us, keeping us in all our ways. No evil shall befall us that we shall not be able to meet and conquer with an understanding and correct application of the Christ, Truth. These are God's promises, and His promises are kept.
