5. Christ: Our 'Hiding Place' Psalm 32:7

Text:  “And a Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary land.”                                                                                                                                                   

Isaiah 32:2.

          “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge (hiding place) and my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust.”

                                                                                                                 Psalm 91:1-2.

Good morning, Securely hidden Christian!  When all the storms of life assail you; you are Spiritually safe and secure, hidden in Christ Jesus.  When trouble abounds all around you - in your home; in your family circle; in the business in which you are engaged; in your country and in your community - you are still Spiritually safe and secure in the Rock upon Whom you and I have truly believed, the Lord Jesus Christ.  Hallelujah!   Thank You, Lord God, for such Eternal security in Thy dear Son, our dear Saviour!  Our hiding place is in Him. Glory to the Lamb Who is indeed worthy!  Amen.

Fervent and sincere personal prayer to God our Heavenly Father, through the Spiritual groaning of God the Holy Spirit within, and at all times, in the Name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer Lord - are powerful petitions indeed; and result in the most amazing results one can imagine.  Yet, the prayer-meeting, and personal family prayer times seem to be the most neglected practices throughout Christianity today!

“Prayer hath shut up the windows of Heaven that it should not rain and again hath opened them that the earth might give her increase.  Prayer hath stayed the swift course of the sun and caused it to go backward fifteen degrees.  Prayer hath held God’s hands that He could not strike when He was ready to plague His people.  Prayers without any other help or means hath thrown down the strong walls of Jericho.  Prayer hath divided the sea that the floods thereof could not come near the Israelites.  In this place it delivereth the faithful man from all the dangers of this world.”  (Thomas Playfere 1633)

Verse 7.  “Thou art my hiding place.  Observe that the same man who in the fourth verse was oppressed by the Presence of God here finds a shelter in Him.  See what honest confession and full forgiveness will do!  The Gospel of Substitution makes Him to be our refuge Who otherwise would have been our Judge.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 159)

When (not if!) troubles and oppositions come to us as Bible-believing Christians, our first recourse should be to the place of prayer.  Reacting to sudden troubles, or to long-term circumstances, in this manner of prayerfulness - we have a true and faithful hiding place, in Christ Jesus.  He is only a prayer away.

“Call upon Me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.”  (Jeremiah 33:3)

Troubles:  No one escapes the troubles of life, trouble is an integral part of human experience; no one is exempt from suffering, and illnesses; and dangers; and loss of peace.  Furthermore, when one becomes a true, Bible-believing Christian - the floodgates of trouble are sure to open and a deluge of unique oppositions come tumbling around our Blood-bought souls.  Such troubles are actually promised to us by God!

“Yea, and all that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution.”  (2 Timothy 3:12)

Yet, as surely as such promised ‘persecutions’ come to us, we have God’s written promise that “…a Man shall be as an hiding place from the wind, and a covert from the tempest; as rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary land.”  That Man is, of course, the God-Man, Jesus, the risen Christ.  Hallelujah!

Verse 7.  “…Thou shalt preserve me from trouble.  Trouble shall do me no real harm when the Lord is with me; rather it shall bring me much benefit, like the file which clears away the rust, but does not destroy the metal.  Observe the three tenses; we have noticed the sorrowful past, the last sentence was a joyful present, this is a cheerful future.”  (C.H. Spurgeon, Treasury of David, page 159)

Our primary Bible text for this morning, from Isaiah, not only prophesies the Christ-Man as our Hiding Place, but that He will be like, “… rivers of water in a dry place, as the shadow of a great Rock in a weary land.”

How often have you and I felt like we were dry and parched for the Presence of God, almost devoid of genuine Christian fellowship with ‘…those of like precious faith.’?  Then, we opened our Bibles and from God’s inspired Word received a most satisfying draught of refreshing and living water?  The ‘dry place’ becomes a Spiritual river!

Thought:  Verse 7.  “…Thou wilt compass me about with songs of deliverance.”  “If Christ is the ‘Balm in Gilead’, apply the remedy; if He is the ‘Physician there’, go to Him; if He is the ‘Pearl of great price’, sell all that you have and buy it; and if He is the ‘hiding-place’, run into it and be safe; there will be no solid joy and peace in the mind until He is your ‘Hiding-Place’”  (Fountain Elwin 1842)