Category: Psalm 91

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.”

In this series we are going to soak in several Psalms just one or two verses at a time. Every sentence of this psalm (or song) is worth savoring and contemplating. I will share my thoughts and meditations, and I will ask questions to invite you to reflect as well. Feel free to share your thoughts with all of us in the comments section. Share this post to invite your friends to join us.

My first question as I meditate on this verse: what is the “shelter of the Most High”? Thoughts that come to mind are that it is the place where God lives or it is a shelter that he has built for us. We know that when we live in that place, we find something unique: rest. I find it strange to think of resting in a shadow, as we tend to think of shadows as scary or ominous. But when I think about the shadow of a tree, it is simply a shady spot. It is a shelter, a protection. And there in the shade I do find rest.

Here’s your freedom for today: Jesus is inviting you to relax with him. We often think of God as having all the rules and expectations. We imagine him shaking his head in disappointment at us when we fail. But this verse says that when we choose to live with God we find a place to relax. Take a deep breath today. Sit in a shady place and close your eyes, imagining the shelter of the Most High God. Where he casts his shadow there is peace and rest.

“This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.”

I love meditating on a single verse throughout my day. I read it again and again, I roll it around in my mind. I talk to God about it. I sit in his presence just feeling it with him. I soak it into my brain as I memorize it and I feel every word wrapping around me.

This verse begins with a bold assertion. “Get ready, I am going to declare some truth right now…” When we declare something, we are not just keeping it to ourselves. No, we are telling the world in a not-backing-down, hoping-above-hope way. I know that I know that I know. And what are we declaring? That God alone is my refuge and place of safety. That word “alone” strikes me — nothing else keeps me safe. Just God. And he is the one I worship. Just him. Feel the depth of the word “trust” here — do you trust God so much that you would declare he is your safe place?

Here’s your freedom for today: God is safe. So many people come into my counseling office bruised and battered by life, and all their hurt and pain gets wrapped up in their views of God (and their views of themselves). Trust is hard when it’s been broken by everyone who ever was supposed to be safe for you. But I assure you God is not like everyone else. He is so other. So different. He defines the very word “love,” so evident in his choice to die on a cross for us. He creates safety simply by being present. He is present with you right now, today, this week. Let him cover and protect you from all that life throws your way today.

“For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.”

The Bible makes some audacious claims. This is one of those verses that makes me pause and make sure I’m reading it right. Recall from the past two verses that we have focused on the safety and protection God offers. Here we see some practical examples given of what that means.

That word “every” catches me — every trap? There are a lot of people out there who feel that God did not rescue them from difficult situations, yet here the Bible says that God will rescue you from every trap. So let’s think about the word “trap.” If you look up “trap” on BibleGateway.com, you will find that it is often a reference to evil or sin. So God will rescue us from evil and sin. That is the offer he is making as he seeks to protect and shelter us. This verse also mentions deadly disease. I notice it says “protect” as opposed to “heal,” meaning that it is possible there are some things we are protected from that we do not ever realize we have been protected from. On the other hand, a lot of people are dying of preventable or deadly diseases. How can this verse be true if people are still dying?

Here’s your freedom for today: God’s kingdom rights the wrongs. God does rescue us from sin and evil. He does set limits on the reaches of Satan’s earthly kingdom. God is in the restoration business. He is in the protection business. And the only things that need protection are things that are at risk or in danger. God is looking out for you today, and in his kingdom all the harm headed your way is being fought off fiercely. That does not mean Satan’s power is gone, and so we will continue to have suffering until the time that we are in the full protection of God’s kingdom as we dwell there. Until that time, we press on and thank God daily for the ways he fights for us.

“He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection.”

I bet you have never pictured God with feathers before… I know I haven’t. Oddly I have understood him to have wings, so I suppose feathers are a logical addition to that image. This verse is just another reminder of the mystery of God — he does not look like any image we can portray, either in our minds or on a canvas. This does not mean we should not employ our full imaginations as we seek to understand what God is like based on descriptions like this one. I have spent quite a bit of time in prayer picturing myself hidden underneath God’s wing. It is dark and requires a lot of trust, but it is safe.

I am intrigued by the next sentence — “his faithful promises are your armor and protection.” How can a promise be a protection? What are God’s promises? (To find an exhaustive list of God’s promises found in the Bible, click here.) These promises protect us because truth protects us. In an evil kingdom based almost entirely on lies, truth is a pretty key defense. When Jesus was tempted by Satan in the desert, truth protected him from believing the lies Satan tried to feed him.

Here’s your freedom for today: Satan only has power when we believe his lies. He cannot force us into evil, and he cannot steal us from God’s love or protection. His power was not enough to keep Jesus in the grave. But Satan can call to us, make us doubt and question, and get us to step out from under God’s wing. He does this by spinning lies that sound almost true. In fact, everything he offered Jesus in the desert was technically true. But it wasn’t truth. Watch out for lies today, and fight back with the truth that God has made promises he intends to keep.

“Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.”

Imagine that you live in a world without electricity or any modern conveniences. You have been on the run in a bunch of caves with someone hunting you down. God appointed you for a significant purpose, but right about now you are starting to wonder if all of that is really true. King David, the writer of this psalm, experienced all of these things and his songwriting hobbies mean that thousands of years later we get the chance to connect with his experiences.

Night is a tough time for a lot of people. Anxiety and depression symptoms often get worse when it becomes dark at night. Insomnia is a common problem for those who struggle with mental health disorders. So what is God trying to tell us in these verses? Is he saying that we just need to not fear, when some of us struggle with intense fear, depression, or anxiety? How can you just stop something over which you seem to have no control? To answer this, we need to look at David’s own life to understand what he is talking about. Being on the run in some dark caves could be pretty terrifying. God is connecting with David in that place and essentially saying, “Hey, I’ve got your back. The dangers that you might normally face won’t take you out.” And they didn’t in David’s case even though he continued at times to face a lot of emotional turbulence.

Here’s your freedom for today: God won’t let you down. If he says he can do the impossible, then he is going to do it even if you don’t feel like you can muster up enough faith at the moment. If he says he will never leave you, then he is always there no matter what your feelings are telling you. God is faithful, and he will finish all that he has started in your life if you believe him to do it. Too often, we start to sabotage the good work that God is doing because we fear that he is not going to come through for us. The terrors in the night seem all too real. Take heart, God’s up to something in your life and he’ll see it through if you hang on to hope.