Safely Abiding in the Presence of God (Part 4)

¹ He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. ² I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 

“In Him" indicates the "repository" for the trust that the one "dwelling in the “secret place of the Most High" will place in his God. "Him", of course, refers back to Yahweh, Elohim, the One true and living God.

“...will I trust" is to rely on, to put confidence in, that is to believe in a person or object to the point of reliance upon. This is not a "surface" or fanciful, casual believing, but rather a full faith and trust that prompts one to exercise the will and act on that faith. 2 Kings 18:5 tells us that Hezekiah exercised faith and:

5 He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, so that after him was none like him among all the kings of Judah, nor who were before him.

It is mostly a later word in the OT. The earliest appearance is in Deuteronomy 28:52, a reference to trusting in the wall of a city. In Judges there are two references to have confidence in or relying on men. (9:6; 20:36).

2 Kings 18:5 is the first Direct reference to having reference to trusting the Lord God, as we have already mentioned. In 2 Kings 18:5-30, the Rabshekah mentions Hezekiah's "trust" in his God six times. It is mentioned again in 2 Kings 19:10. 1 & 2 Chronicles each use it once (5:20 & 32:10).

Isaiah uses the term 14 times in his Book and Jeremiah uses it 15 times in his. In contrast Ezekiel uses it only once, in Ezekiel 33:13. Hosea, Amos, Micah, Habakkuk and Zephaniah all use it once.

Psalms uses the terms by far the most time at 45, most of them in the metaphorical sense of trusting in the Lord God. Job uses it 4 times and Proverbs uses it 10 times.

This is not the first time we have heard the Psalmist proclaim God his shelter. Psalm 18:1–2:

1 I will love You, O Lord, my strength.2 The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer;
My God, my strength, in whom I will trust;
My shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.

Psalm 46:1:

1 God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble

Psalm 71:3:

Be my strong refuge,
To which I may resort continually;
You have given the commandment to save me,
For You are my rock and my fortress.

So this is a relatively common theme throughout the Scripture, and especially in the Psalms. God is a fortress, a rock, a defense for His people and they can trust in Him.