Psalm 90:1

A Prayer of Moses the man of God.
Psalm 90:1 1 Lord, You have been our dwelling place in all generations.

I love how people used to name their children based upon what the name means instead of what is popular. I love names like “Faith”, “Hope”, “Joy”, etc. because you knew what was going through the parents mind when the name was given. The child and every one they met could always go back and refer to that moment in time.

Names always meant somthing to the Hebrews. If you have one of those bibles with the middle column in it spend some time reading the notes. You'll find definitions of the names which will bring deeper meaning to the account. Which brings us to today's verse... the name translated “Lord” here is the Hebrew word “Adonay”. Look at the definition from Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance:

An emphat form of adon… In the form adonay the word means “Lord” par excellence or “Lord over all”.

I like that thought “Lord over all”. God is not simply another god to be worshipped and appeased, He is Lord over all. Everything in creation, both seen and unseen, bows to Him. Allegiance to Him is not a pre-requisite for His Lordship – even those angels that rebelled against Him still submit to Him. Look at this account from Luke concerning a man who was tormented by a whole host of demons:

Luke 8:28-32 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out, fell down before Him, and with a loud voice said, “What have I to do with You, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg You, do not torment me!”29 For He had commanded the unclean spirit to come out of the man. For it had often seized him, and he was kept under guard, bound with chains and shackles; and he broke the bonds and was driven by the demon into the wilderness. 30 Jesus asked him, saying, “What is your name?” And he said, “Legion,” because many demons had entered him. 31 And they begged Him that He would not command them to go out into the abyss. 32 Now a herd of many swine was feeding there on the mountain. So they begged Him that He would permit them to enter them. And He permitted them.

Look at the submissive nature of the enemy. When confronted by the Christ they could only beg for His mercy. It should bring us all such great comfort that there is nothing that can stand against God. He reigns supreme in the universe! “Adonay” stands for us – there is none that can stand against Him and therefore there is none who can harm us.

Why is it important that Moses refers to God as Adonay? Look at how the verse continues, ”You have been our dwelling place in all generations”. Did you catch that? God is Israel’s dwelling place! Moses is saying “Lord of Lords, You are the place in which we live and have been all of our lives”. Israel’s home is in the One who reigns supreme over everything. The lesson that Moses learned in the desert wanderings was that it wasn't the tents that made the home. God provided them shelter, sustenance, and security during their journey. Moses knew that he was completely dependant upon God for everything no matter what the circumstance. He knew that had always been the case and always would be. If only we'd catch that truth in our wanderings through this life today!

We all hold fast to the verses that say that God is a rock or shelter or a refuge but what about the thought that God is the place where we live? I love the thought that we can run to God whenever we are in trouble (as we should) but are we comfortable with the thought of living inside God? Every second of our being is under the watchful eye of the Father. There is nowhere we can go to escape Him.

Think about your home for a second – how familiar are you with it? I can tell when the furnace is going to start by the popping and clicking I hear. I know when my daughter has gone to bed because I can feel the rumble of her window AC. I can walk through my house in the dark without breaking my neck. We are all very familiar with the places in which we live, can we say the same for our Lord?

Are we intimate with Him? Do we spend our lives exploring every aspect of Him so that we can know Him better? Do we recognize the sounds He makes as He moves through our lives? Let us bring to mind Paul’s words as he addressed those at the Areopagus, “for in Him we live and move and have our being”. We are not simply to dwell in God as our refuge when times are rough – we are to live out every second of our lives inside of Him.

Adonay, Lord of Lords, is our dwelling place! There is no safer place for us to be! There is no place where we are loved more! Let us live our lives from this moment on mindful of that truth. Let us not be bogged down in the swamp of despair with the heavy load that this life brings. We live inside Christ! There is nothing He cannot accomplish.

Mercy and peace to all of you through Christ Jesus our Lord.