How To Dwell Securely

How to Dwell Securely

Ps 91

Where did the term “security blanket” come from?

(June 1, 1954) Charles Schultz, creator of the comic strip “Peanuts” pictures one of his characters, Linus van Pelt, tenaciously clinging to his security blanket. Linus is unusually smart, and he acts as the strip's philosopher and theologian, often quoting the Gospels The best friend of Charlie Brown, Linus is also the younger brother of Lucy.

- Strip of Snoopy trying to rip Linus security blanket away

- The last pane shows Snoopy defeated

Linus line

- “Security, like Liberty has to be won re-won many times”

Wherever he goes or whatever he does, Linus must have his blanket. He feels insecure without it. This may be humorous, but actually all of us have to have our security blankets of one kind or another

- Ps 90 speaks of a man crushed

- Ps 91 speaks of a man secret hiding place

- is this Moses (& Israel’s story) in both Psalms?

- Liberty being won

❶ Be Realistic

- As believers we can’t live in the land of denial

- Threats to our lives are real

1. v. 3 - The snare of the fowler

- Connected with secrecy

- A trapper, bait-layer

- Helpless birds caught in a net

- the duck decoy

- The enemy knows our weak points

- He tantalize us with delights

2. v. 3, 6, 10 – Pestilence – disease, plague

- Judgment on Egypt – 10 Plagues

- Evil report Numbers 14:37KJVEven those men that did bring up the evil report upon the land, died by the plague before the LORD.

3. v. 5 – Fear hounds us day & night

- It’s the uncertainty

- The dread of the unknown

4. v. 12 - Accidents

5. v. 13 - Deadly attacks– lion, snake

- Totally helpless

❷ Be Informed

- It is the Lord who provides our security.

1. v. 4a - Giving a place of refuge & shelter

2. v. 4b - He will provide a shield and place of defense

3. v. 11 - Supernatural Care (angels)

4. v. 15 - His promise of presence when we pray

- He is not there but disconnected

- He is actively involved in our details

❸ Be Confident

- The key to our security is trust

- v. 16 I will …… shew him my salvation

- Immense love took Jesus to the cross

- He suffered and shed his blood for my sin

- Rose from the dead as King of Kings

Note the pronouns - Personal v.2 & a clause in v. 9

1. v. 1-2 – Discover & Determine

- First a statement of discovery then an admission

2. v. 9 – Commitment to stay faithful

- In the middle of this Ps.

- He personally comes back to his own confidence

- v. 9 … which is my refuge….

- We find security in God when we make him our dwelling place.

- The rest is pointed us

3. V. 14 - Pronouncement of Testimony

- v. 14 …..he hath set his love upon me…

- Holding fast to Him v. 15).

- v. 14=16 The focus on the Lord’s relationship to us

Thomas Edison invented the electric light bulb in 1879. Twenty-two years later, in 1901, one of the newfangled gadgets was hung and turned on in the Livermore, Calif., Fire Department. It’s still there, and still on. The old bulb has almost never been turned off in 109 years.

By today’s standards it should have burned out 852 times by now. The bulb, hand-blown, with a thick carbon filament, was made, it is said, by the Shelby Electric Company, which did not become one of the giants of the nation, for an obvious reason. The Shelby Company made light bulbs to last, and nobody ever reordered.

The bulb is accorded an awesome respect by Fire Captain Kirby Slate and his men. In a time of planted and planned obsolescence, when gadgets are forever falling apart or burning out or breaking up, it’s reassuring to watch a dusty 109-year-old light bulb shine on and on and on.

His Promise never failing

Psalm 91:16KJVWith long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.