Psalm 91

If I had to choose a favourite Psalm it would be this one. The whole bible is a love story of how God relentlessly pursues us. His desire to just spend time with us. For us to get to know him as Father. This Psalm is a particular favourite of mine because of the promises it holds. Those promises have proved true in my life and will continue to. If you ever doubt that the promises of God within the bible are for you – the answer is yes they are. Wherever you see a promise of God it is for you. It is up to you to believe it in your heart and receive it. The wires carrying electricity throughout your whole house will sit there dormant, not doing anything, until you flick that switch to make the connection and turn on the lights. It is this way with God. You have the Holy Spirit living on the inside of you, but it is up to you to flick the switch, believe and receive.

God does not promise us a world free of troubles and danger. He does promise his protection over us and to walk with us through whatever it is we are facing. Let us explore the promises within this Psalm that are available to each and every one of us.

At the very beginning of this Psalm there is a promise to those people who choose to live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. We get to choose who we stay close to. The prophet Isaiah declares in chapter 25, verse 4 that the Lord is a refuge to those in distress. Isaiah knew God’s character, he had a close relationship with God. As we get to know God and spend time with him in close relationship, we too will find that he is a refuge to us in times of pain and trouble. To find refuge with God is to know safety. That no matter what is going on around you, you are safe with him. David was another prophet who declared this in Psalm 18, verse 2.

Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:9 declares standing in the presence of God and crying out to him results in God coming to the rescue. We are starting to gather a picture here through these people who had close relationships with God. Experience has taught them that God always comes through, that God will work everything together for the good of those who love him. This isn’t something that only occurred at the cross. God has always covered his people with love and protection. Asaph in Psalm 50:15 also declares God’s promise of a rescue from trouble when we call on God.

Matthew 7:7 exhorts us to ask God, pray and make our requests known to him. God has given us free will and part of that free will is that God responds to the requests and prayers we ask of him. God wants every single person to be saved, but he respects the decision of every person. He isn’t going to save you unless you ask him too. Once you ask him and invite him in, then you are saved. He doesn’t demand our love and relationship. He desires it and pursues us – not because he needs us, but because he wants us.

And so when we need that extra protection and safety we need to ask. There is power in the words you speak (Proverbs 18:21), declare the goodness of God and thank him for all he has done. The promise will be yours.

This Psalm commands us not to be afraid or to dread disaster or disease. Fear can rob you of your faith. We do not need to fear when we are confidently assured of who we are in Jesus, that we have the same power that raised Jesus from the dead living on the inside of us (Romans 8:11) and we can stand firm on the promise that these evils will not touch us.

I look at the words used in verse 9. “If” you make the Lord your refuge and “if” you make the Lord your shelter. These promises to be protected from plagues and evil are resting on your willingness to make the Lord your shelter. To place God first above everything else in your life. If you can do this for him, you will have angels protecting you wherever you go.

It is interesting that verses 11 and 12 are the ones quoted by Satan when he tempted Jesus (Matthew 4:6; Luke 4:10-11). Satan used scripture, he knows scripture. This is another reason why we must study the bible. We must be in close relationship with God to understand his character. Sometimes we can be presented with opportunities that look like they are from God. They look appealing and appear as though it’s where he wants you to be. However, only by being in a close relationship with God and listening for his voice and the promptings of the Holy Spirit can we discern if it is actually from God or not. We will save ourselves a lot of pain further down the line if we learn to say yes to what is from God and no to what isn’t – regardless of how we personally feel about it.

We end the Psalm with God saying a lot of “I will” statements. Think about that for a minute. There is no conditional on if we mess up and make a mistake. Our only requirement is to love God with all of our hearts and trust in him above all else. There is no maybe statement here, no If they do x, y and z then I’ll come through for them. It is a confident “I WILL”

Prayer – Lord help us to fully understand in our heart how much you love us, how your protection is all around us daily, how you assign angels to keep watch over us. We thank you for your promises and how grateful and blessed we are to receive them. Lord, as we step out into daily life remind us of how your Holy Spirit is alive on the inside of us, sustaining us with your power and presence and equipping us to do all you have asked of us to do. In Jesus Name. Amen.