Read Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
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 observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Go Deeper
Who God is will protect you: He is faithful. Remember God. The author of this psalm is unknown, but many people presume it is either written by Moses, due to its similar themes to Psalm 90, or that David wrote it, as it is similar to Psalms 27 and 31. Regardless of who the author is, the message of this chapter stays the same: it exists as an encouragement to continue on in faith and a reminder of who our God is.
The chapter opens by emphasizing that those who believe in the Lord will find protection with Him. Shelter, shadow, refuge, and fortress all create this idea of safety found in Christ. It then goes on to explain the trials this protection is from – the fowler’s snare and deadly pestilence – are the devil trying to separate us from who God is. But he is no match for who our God is. It is clearly stated here that our protection is not because we have a weak enemy, but a powerful God. The bold declaration of assurance that our God is our protector comes from having a clear understanding of who God is. He is able to remain confident because he knows who his God is.
So often our problem comes from where we think too little of God and too big of ourselves. When trials come we may lose sight of who God is and instead try to take matters into our own hands. But nearness to the Father expands our vision of who He is. Proverbs 3:5 instructs us to “trust in the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” When we spend time getting to know God – either through learning who Scripture says He is, by praying and seeking a relationship with Him, or by remembering who we have known God to be in the past – we begin to have a full understanding of the powerful protector whom we can call our friend.
Hebrews 10:23 says “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” This psalm is meant to challenge us to expand our view of who our God is and to remain faithful. It’s a reminder for us to not stray because of fear when hardship comes, but to lean on God because we know who He is.
Questions
- How does this chapter describe God? Create a list of His names and attributes.
- What does it look like for God to be your refuge and for you to dwell in His shelter?
- What are fears or trials that you are going through that you can trust in God to help you with?
Did you Know?
In Matthew 4:1-11 when Jesus is tempted in the desert, the devil quotes Psalm 91:11-12 in an attempt to try to trick Jesus to jump. Not only does he take this passage out of context and twist it, but Jesus also in a way provides commentary on the passage saying we are not to test God (Deuteronomy 6:16).
3 responses to “Psalm 91”
“I have a life that is never going to end. Death may change my position but not my condition, not my standing with Jesus Christ. Death is not going to separate us.” D.L. MOODY.
Vs5 You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
God has said He will be there for you, protect you, guard you, have angels watching over you, shelter you. So why are we afraid? Because we do not truly trust, the world around us is in a constant state of fear. Dwelling in the presence of God is where we need to be. Read His word, speak His word, sing His word, share His word, live His word, and think about what He is telling us. When the world around us is speaking “What if…” we can speak peace, through this passage. We can pray this over our life, our family, our home and our jobs. This is not my forever home, so focus on the eternal. BUT GOD will sustain us and keep us, we do not have to be afraid.
God I come to you today. I declare Psalm 91 over my life, my family, my home, and everything You’ve entrusted to me. God I choose to dwell in Your secret place. I don’t want to visit your presence; I want to remain there. Pull my heart away from distractions and bring me closer to you today. Hide me in your secret place, where fear, anxiety, stress and demons cannot reach me. Today, I choose to rest in Your Presence. Let your anointing become my peace. Teach my soul to rest and trust in you, instead of striving and living under stress. Anoint my head with oil, so that my heart overflows with your glory upon my family, my home, and those who you bring into my life. Quiet the storm within me. I declare, you are my refuge and my fortress. You are my hiding place in every season. You are my defense when I am weak. I run to you God, not to worry, not to fear, but to rest in Your Presence. I trust in you completely. I am satisfied with your fellowship. God I put my trust in you, I surrender control of my life to you. I take refuge in your wisdom and direction for my life. God I desire to break the habit of leaning on my own understanding. Strengthen my faith and silence every anxious thought. God, deliver me from every snare and trap of the enemy. Expose hidden schemes, secret attacks, and subtle distractions. Save me from deception.
Save me from compromise. Deliver me from confusion. Order my steps, and keep me on your path. Protect me from deadly pestilence and sickness. I ask for your protection over my life and my household. I rebuke disease, infirmity let health and strength flow through me. Let no plague come near my dwelling today. May I think on You and Your laws day and night. Teach me your ways, let Your Holy Spirit overflow and effervesce out of me in the minutes of this day in Jesus name amen.
WOOHOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Psalm 91 was my Grammie’s favorite one. I have vivid memories of her tiny frame sitting in her favorite chair with the Bible open in her lap reading it aloud to us. As I read it again today, I understand why it was foundational to her faith. Life was hard, troubles were many, yet her refuge was in God alone. He was the true anchor that she tethered her life to. Today, I will chose to “dwell in the shelter of the Most High and will rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (v1).
In verse 1, dwell means to take up permanent residence, reside, abide, rest. In verse 2, we are to trust in God’s faithfulness to His Word, In Him will I trust. Psalms 91 reminds me of James talking about faith and believing. (James 2:14-25). v.19 You believe in one God, you do well. The devil’s also believe, and tremble. v.20 But wilt thou know, o vain man, that faith without works is dead? Believing and faith are both action words and both are required to dwell with God. If we are not serving in some capacity with works of believing faith, are we dwelling, or only camping out for a temporary time?