Psalm 91 – Shaping Who We Are

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Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.

— Psalm 91 NIV

Isn’t it amazing that this is what the Word of God says? God promises us a lot of great things in this passage. He promises His protection and His love for us and the defeat of our enemies. 

I think there are a few things that are important to address here. One is that there are many of you who may read this passage and wonder if you’re doing something wrong or if this just isn’t true because you’re not feeling like God is protecting your life. I think an important note to make here is that there is no reason to rescue if there isn’t trouble and no need for a refuge if there isn’t danger. We are sure to have trouble in this life, but God will save us from it – which doesn’t always mean He will entirely keep it from happening. But it’s important to know that God doesn’t create sin and pain but He can use it to shape the person you are.
 

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our hearts matter

Another important part of this passage to notice is that there are a lot of “if…then” statements. This means that there are things we must do in order to receive this protection from God. While we do not have to earn God’s love, we do have to position our hearts to receive blessings from Him. We won’t know He’s our refuge and our protection unless we dwell with Him. A major part of this passage is God’s sweet calling to us to come closer to Him and experience the safety that He offers.

Like I mentioned before, we won’t always know what our circumstances will bring, but we can be confident that God will be with us and He will not allow anything that can’t be turned into good for our lives. God is concerned with our hearts and souls because that is what is eternal. When we keep the perspective that our eternal character will outlive our current circumstances, we can trust that God is working out something much better in our hearts than we may experience with our bodies. 

take some time

Today, think about your circumstances and what you’re nervous about. Usually, this is a good sign that you haven’t fully trusted God with this circumstance. Take time to be close to God and ask Him to change your heart to desire eternal things over the joys of this world. Not all things of this world are bad, they just won’t be as satisfying as what God has to offer.

pray

God, show us where we’re caring more about the worldly things and change our hearts to desire you. Let us trust your protection and care over our lives and draw us nearer to you.

– Michele Houston