In my time of reading God’s words I saw Psalm 91:9, “Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation.” The context of this Psalm was one who has made their refuge in the most High encouraging another that God can and will do all He says when you make the most High your refuge, your Lord.
As I thought and considered I asked myself, Have I made the Lord, the most High, my habitation? What does it mean to make the most High my habitation? As I have often told my children, look it up in the dictionary. So that is what I did. Habitation (definition) 1) act of inhabiting, 2) a dwelling place. Inhabit (definition) 1) to occupy as a place of settled residence. OK. Back from the dictionary in a plain statement, What did I learn? I learned that my habitation is where I am at. The dwelling or residence may be compared to a habitat of a plant or an animal - the site or type of site where a plant or animal naturally or normally lives and grows. So I rephrase my question: Have I made the Lord, the most High, my dwelling place, my residence, the place where I normally live and grow? Is it a place where I appear to be natural and not out of place?
I think of how Cain, who was a tiller of the field, when he refused to correct though confession to God and repentance from what was in his heart and instead killed his brother Abel whose his blood cried up to God from the ground, that Cain’s curse from God was that the ground would not grow anything for him. It wasn’t a problem with the ground, but a plight that moved with Cain wherever he went. That presence was his habitation.
In considering making the Lord, the most High, my habitation where I would normally dwell I asked, What would it be like? The first thought that came to mind was ‘holiness’. I did the next thing that came to my mind. I took my Franklin Bookman electronic Holy Bible and searched for ‘holiness’. I realized soon enough I would need my Strong’s Concordance to better see and categorize the references as several entries had similar contexts. (Dictionary time again - holiness (definition) 1) the quality or state of being holy.) One of the first statements familiar to me is found in 1 Chronicles 16:29 and Psalms 29:2 and 96:9 - “Worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness.” In reference to making my habitation that of the most High I see a dwelling place, namely, in the beauty of holiness, in the beauty of the state of being holy. In both the Old and New Testament we are given God’s command - “Be you being holy for I am being holy” (Leviticus 11:44,45 and 1 Peter 1:15, 16). This habitation fully in holiness (but only a beginning of describing the most High being my habitation) calls for praising the beauty of holiness (2 Chronicles 20:21), sanctifying or setting apart yourself in holiness ( 2 Chronicles 31:18), and a place of singing when remembering God’s holiness (Psalm 30:4). I asked, Where does the most High go that I would also go when I make Him my habitation? He sits upon the throne of his holiness (Psalm 47:8). God is to be praised in the mountain of his holiness ( Psalm 48:1). God speaks in his holiness (Psalm 60:6, 108:7) and even swears or takes an oath by his holiness (Psalm 89:35, Amos 4:2). Less there be any doubt Isaiah 63:15, 16 clearly specifies the habitation of the most High. “Look down from the heaven, and behold the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory: where is thy zeal and thy strength, the sounding of thy bowels and of thy mercies toward me? are they restrained? Doubtless thou art our father, though Abraham be ignorant of us, and Israel acknowledge us not: thou, O Lord, art our father, our redeemer; thy name is from everlasting.”
Lest as a Gentile we think the Old Testament only contains the call to holiness the Gentile New Testament churches to who the apostle Paul wrote (he being called by God unto the Gentiles) we are called to be servants to righteousness unto holiness (Romans 6:19), have fruit unto holiness (Romans 6:22), to continue on to perfect holiness in the fear of God (2 Corinthians 7:1), to be renewed in the spirit of our minds in righteousness and true holiness (Ephesian 4;24), to be in behaviour that becometh ( or is a perfect example of) holiness (Titus 2:3 addressed to the older women, but effective to all of us). All that the preceding describes or, at best, summarizes the relation of making the Lord, the most High, my dwelling place.
In relation to holiness being a primary characteristic of this habitation one would ask what might the end result be? (Well, at least I did). The writer of Hebrews in the beginning of chapter 12 has just finished the partial list of what God did for those who participated in the substance ( or assurance ) of things hoped for and the evidence ( or proving ) of things not seen. After challenging the reader to run with patience the race set before them looking unto Jesus, Immanuel, God with us, the Word that became flesh, the Author and Finisher of our faith, we have the continuing challenge of discipline, diligence, and deportment. Jesus, for the joy that was set before Him, endured the cross, and despised the shame; his joy - that for Him and for us - He is set down on the right hand of the throne of God. The purpose of His chastening and disciplining our lives that we may be being holy as He is being holy, is that we might be partakers of HIS holiness. WHAT A BLESSING AND BLESSED OUTCOME!!! I must make now the Lord, the most High, my habitation described as holiness that I might be partaker of His holiness. He wants His holiness to be ours. It is then no wonder Adam and Eve covered and hid themselves when Adam sinned. That perfect man made in God’s image knew that expanse of difference between holiness he had known and what its presence now meant to him who had missed the mark of the glory of God. To dwell in this earthen vessel and also the habitation of the Lord, the most High, calls for me to be being holy for my dwelling, my normal place of residence, that normal place for me to live and grow is in holiness if I make the Lord, the most High my habitation.