The Hiding Place
Psalm 18:2 The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my
deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the
horn of my salvation, my stronghold. (NIV)
Moses
built and dedicated an altar to Jehovah Nissi, Lord is my Banner, after the
Israelites were victorious in a battle against one of their many enemies. The Lord
had helped the Israelites to defeat the Amalekites, after they had been freed
from Egyptian bondage. As long as Moses’ hands were raised, the Israelites were
winning the battle, which was a sign that it was the Lord who was working on
their behalf and not by their own power. Jehovah Nissi was their banner of
protection just as He is ours today. Psalm 46:1 God is our refuge and
strength, an ever-present help in trouble. (NIV)
The psalmist in Psalm 91 lets us know
that those who live in the shelter of the Most High can rest in His shadow. We
do not have to worry or be afraid of whatever comes our way from the enemy
because Jehovah Nissi will lift up a standard against him. Psalm 91:1-3 He who dwells
in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will
say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely
he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. (NIV)
How do we dwell in the shelter of the Most High? We must constantly be in the
presence of the Lord through prayer, fasting, and daily reading the Word of
God.
a.) Prayer is our best weapon against the
enemy. If we are not in constant communication with God, it is easy for the
enemy to come in and beat us down because prayer is to the Christian as a
battery is to a car. Without it, the vehicle will not start and be able to run.
Ephesians
6:18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and
requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep in prayer for all the
saints. (NIV)
b.) Fasting in combination with prayer gives
the Christian more power to combat the enemy. It is like putting your prayer on
steroids not because God will not move without it, but it allows you to be more
sensitive to the voice of God by denying the flesh of its desires. Prior to
Jesus starting His ministry here on earth, He was led by the Spirit, where He
would be tempted by the enemy. He fasted for forty days and nights. The devil
thought that it would be a prime time to tempt Jesus due to Him being without
food. However, what the devil didn’t know was that prayer and fasting was what
prepared Jesus for his attacks. After several attempts to manipulate Jesus into
sinning, Jesus defeated him with the Word and finally rebuked him, so the enemy
had to leave. Matthew 4:10-11 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it
is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’ ” Then the devil
left him, and angels came and attended him. (NIV) Many times,
Christians pray for things, but do not see results because some things only
come through both prayer and fasting tag-teamed together. Jesus let the
disciples know this when they tried to cast a demon out of a young boy, but was
unsuccessful in doing so. Matthew
17:19-21 Then the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked, “Why
couldn’t we drive it out?” He replied, “Because you have so little faith. I
tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say
to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there’ and it will move. Nothing will be
impossible for you. But this kind
does not go out except by prayer and fasting. (NIV)
c.) Studying the Word of God is important to
be in the shelter of the Most High. We should read the Word of God daily, so
that we will be able to stand against the enemy and know that Jehovah Nissi is
our Banner of protection. God’s Word helps to keep us encouraged and is our manual
to righteous and holy living. Without it, we will fall prey to every manner of
deception manifested through the enemy and will therefore fall into the
judgments of the wicked. 2 Timothy 3:16-17 All Scripture is
God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in
righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good
work. (NIV) Jehovah Nissi equips us for battle through the study of His Word. No warrior
can be prepared for the enemy if they have not studied how the enemy operates. The
enemy of our souls is Satan and he has had centuries to perfect his trade.
Nevertheless, we are not left defenseless because the Word of God equips us to
flow in the Spirit so that we do not become prey to the enemy.
In Psalm 91, the psalmist lets us know that Jehovah
Nissi provides all kinds of protection for His children such as that from
deadly diseases. We see that Jehovah Nissi did this when He sent plagues upon
the Egyptians. God did not allow the Israelites to suffer the judgments He sent
upon Pharaoh because they were His chosen people. Jehovah Nissi was showing
them that they could trust Him completely for their care, and it was also a
sign to the Egyptians that He was Jehovah Nissi – the Children of Israel’s
Banner and mighty arm of protection. Exodus 8:22 But on that day I will
deal differently with the land of Goshen, where my people live; no swarms of
flies will be there, so that you will know that I, the Lord, am in this land.
(NIV) Jehovah Nissi promises to be our armor and protection as well. We
can be sure that what He says – He will do, for His word never returns void nor
can He lie. Isaiah 55:10-11 As
the rain and the snow come down from heaven, and do not return to it without
watering the earth and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for
the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
It will not return to me empty, but will accomplish what I desire and achieve
the purpose for which I sent it. (NIV)
The
Bible lets us know that even when there are those around us falling down due to
the judgments of God that He will not allow it to touch His people. We will be
observers but not recipients. Psalm 91:7 A thousand may fall at
your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
(NIV) Jehovah Nissi promises to be a Banner of protection for His
people even through the judgments of the wicked. Now, does this mean that
Christians will not be persecuted at the hands of the wicked? No! But it does
mean that when Jehovah Nissi judges the wicked, there will be a distinction
made for those who are in the shelter of the Most High for they will not
receive the wrath of God. Revelation 16:1-2 Then I heard a loud
voice from the temple saying to the seven angels,, “Go pour out the seven bowls
of God’s wrath on the earth.” The first angel went and poured out his bowl on
the land, and ugly and painful sores broke out on the people who had the mark
of the beast and worshipped his image.
Jehovah
Nissi sends His ministering angels to help cover His children because the devil
is constantly looking for ways to go up against the children of God. These
angels help to protect and uplift the Banner of God over His saints. Psalm
91:11-13 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all
your ways; they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike
your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will
trample the great lion and the serpent. (NIV) The Apostle Paul, while
shipwrecked, had encountered a bite from a venomous snake, but he did not die
from the bite. People around were amazed because they thought that he would
have surely died from it. Nevertheless, Jehovah Nissi protected him from death
and, Paul was unaffected. Acts 28:3-5 Paul gathered a pile of
brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat,
fastened itself on his hand. When the islanders saw the snake hanging from is
hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped
from the sea, Justice has not allowed him to live. But Paul shook the snake off
into the fire and suffered no ill effects.” (NIV)
Jehovah
Nissi is faithful to those who are true to Him. His name, Jehovah Nissi, the Lord
our Banner, lets us know that He is our constant Banner of protection. There is
no one mightier, stronger, and more faithful than the Lord, Most High. He is
our Shelter and with whom our faith must reside. We are not to have faith in
the things of this world, which can be destroyed at any moment, but our
confidence should be in the Lord. Jehovah Nissi loves us with an undying love,
and we can place all our cares upon Him and should reciprocate that love back
to Him. Psalm 91:14-16 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will
rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call upon
me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him
and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
(NIV)
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