Consider this:
When we love others, we know that we belong to the truth, and we feel at ease in the presence of God. But even if we don’t feel at ease, God is greater than our feelings, and [God] knows everything. Dear friends, if we feel at ease in the presence of God, we will have the courage to come near [God]. [God] will give us whatever we ask, because we obey [God] and do what pleases [God]. — 1 John 3:19-22 (CEV)
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. — Psalm 91:1 (NIV)
If you make the Most High your dwelling–even YHWH, who is my refuge — then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. — Psalm 91:9 (NIV)
Take a look at the connection. We find in 1 John that in order to feel at ease in God’s presence (which we enter through the gates of thanksgiving, praise, and worship), we must love others. Psalm 91 gives us the image of what it means to live in the presence of God.
Love is a prerequisite to dwelling in the presence of God.
The underlying message of 1 John is that you are either with God or not. There’s no middle ground. There’s no “I’m righteous, but I need to turn back to God.” There’s no “backsliding”. There’s only you are either with God or your not. Period.
To dwell in the shadow of the Almighty takes us acting through love. 1 Corinthians 13 teaches us this. If we love, then even though we now see only a backwards and foggy reflection of God, we will see God FACE-TO-FACE. (Think Elijah, Isaiah, and John in the book of Revelation).
The onus is on us to make God our dwelling place. This is accomplished by first choosing to love (and act on it), and, second, by entering into the presence of God (thanksgiving, praise, and worship).
While we’re on Psalm 91, dwelling in the presence of God, means that God becomes real and personal. Consider the language in verse 2 (NIV): “I will say of YHWH, “[YHWH] is MY refuge and MY fortress, MY God, in whom I trust.”
As you read through Psalm 91 (and 1 John), it becomes very clear that the message of the Psalmist is that the sweetest dwelling place is the shadow of the Almighty. 1 John tells us that the mortgage for that dwelling place is love.
