February 1

Reading: Psalm 91

1   He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2   I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3   For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence.

4   He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

 

5   You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6   nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7   A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8   You will only look with your eyes

and see the recompense of the wicked.

9   Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—

the Most High, who is my refuge—

10 no evil shall be allowed to befall you,

no plague come near your tent.

 

11 For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

12 On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

13 You will tread on the lion and the adder;

the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

 

14 Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

15 When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

16 With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.

 

Psalm 91 is a song for dangerous times, a song of security for the person who trusts in the Lord.

This psalm is not so much a promise, but a description of what faith in the Lord looks like and feels like.  If you trust the Lord, He will protect you.  The descriptions of the Lord’s protection in this psalm are metaphorical.  Thus, it is no promise that you will not hit your foot on a stone or never be bit by a snake.  You might.  But if you trust Him, the Lord remains your protector.

So, we are speaking about the Lord’s protection on the grand scale, from an eternal perspective.  Of course, this has implications for the present.  I know that whatever may happen, I am safe forever because the Lord is my refuge and my fortress.  He will deliver me.

How can I be so confident?  Why am I secure in the Lord?  It is because of who He is.  In verses 1-2 the psalmist is trusting God and living in His shelter, His shadow.  The Lord faithfully protects those who find refuge in Him.  I will not fear all kinds of calamity (vss. 5-13) because I know that the Lord delivers those who love Him. (vss. 14-16)

These final three verses are the Lord’s response to the faith displayed by the psalmist in verses 1-13.  The psalmist says, “This is what the Lord is like, and I trust Him, and I rest secure.” (vss. 1-13)  The Lord responds in verses 14-16, “Because you love Me, I will indeed deliver you… answer you… be with you… rescue you… save you forever.”

This psalm is a wonderful prayer to pray expressing your faith in the Lord, and then hearing His answer to your trust placed in Him.