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Religious
Living With God’s
Loving Assurance PSALM 91:1-8, 11-16 (KJV)
The Scriptures
Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2Iwillsayofthe LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
3 Surely he shall de- liver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thou- sand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou tram-
ple under feet.
14 Because he hath set
his love upon me, there- fore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, be- cause he hath known my name.
15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Psalm 91, known as a Psalm of Protection, is a mys- tery in that its authorship is unknown and it is without a title. However, we can all con- clude that Psalm 91 is a cele- bratory song about God’s faithfulness, His power, and our response as His children.
God, Our Shelter
(Psalm 91:1–8)
God’s protection is illus- trated. Any plague, spiritual attack, or perceived enemy cannot withstand the power of the Lord. His comfort is unlike any other. Here the author ex- plains how God’s faithfulness will be our safe place and pro- tective barrier, or rampart.
He goes on to explain how our lives will inevitably change due to God’s safe keeping. We will no longer become con- sumed by whatever we face, whether it is darkness, wicked imaginations, armies, tragedies, or more.
God does not promise the prevention of horrible events,
but rather the absence of fear, even in the midst of tragedy.
God has the final word on all matters of injustice, so we are free to forgive those who have caused significant losses or disappointments in our lives and put them in the hands of God.
God, Our Protector
(vv. 11–13)
This passage begins with a promise that is ours if we sub- mit to God’s shelter and pres- ence. He will perform the miracle of dispatching His messengers to surround us with His covering in every facet of our lives. The fact that we will not dash our feet against stones speaks to the surety of the angels’ grasps on us when we fall. These guardian angels will do their job to keep us from the dan- gers of physical life and spiri- tual advances of the enemy and his demons.
Verse 13 speaks of tram- pling upon lions and cobras as well as fierce lions and ser- pents. In other words the psalmist expects not only pro- tection from, but triumph over natural and spiritual enemies,
regardless of whether they are common or unique, weak or fierce.
God, Our Answer
(vv. 14–16)
Yet another promise is given in this passage that is conditional: God rescues those who know that they need Him, and He protects those who ac- knowledge His unmatched power. We will not have to wonder where He is and if He will appear. He is never tardy and He will answer with joy; He will never make us feel like a burden to Him. In fact, He is waiting on us to call Him!
No trouble that we face, no turmoil that we find ourselves in is too hard for Him. Even in those messes that we have caused, He is there to clean us up as a father does with a tod- dler who stains his clothes.
The Lord will not only res- cue His followers, but also heap approval and affirmation upon them.
Finally, He promises to grant us a long life, not merely existing, but thriving in Him, and guarantees eternal secu- rity.
Lesson Learned
The most appropriate way to “dwell” in God’s shelter is prayer: listening and talking to Him. Sadly, many Christians use prayer as a last resort.
The church can help allevi- ate the fears of unbelievers and new Christians in the face of medical diagnoses and wars by modeling the faith of the author of Psalm 91. The pas- sage does not insinuate that challenge and calamity will not come, but that the Lord, our Savior is always victorious. There is power in prayer and trust in God, and when believ- ers show faith in God for pro- tection despite their circumstances, we testify to the hope our world so deeply needs.
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