Psalm 91:1-16
Everyone has favourite verses or chapters of the Bible.
Words of promise, words of encouragement, others speak to us about God’s love and mercy towards us.
Life is filled with problems, some small and some great and Psalm 91 has been and continues to be a source of strength, hope, promise and encouragement.
A missionary said that her family would have literally lost their minds had it not been for the help and strength of the 91st Psalm.
Let’s read the Psalm together
Psalm 91
1 He who 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 make the Most High your dwelling — even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall 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 upon 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 upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.
We all need a place to go to when we’re stressed or sad, tired or lonely, fearful or tempted, disappointed or discouraged - a place where we can unload our burdens and get some relief.
Psalm 91 is an expression of the child of God’s confidence in divine protection and deliverance.
When we feel insecure and inadequate we need a refuge - a shelter. We need a retreat.
Prayer can transport us to that place!
A young boy was telling the pastor that his mother said his prayers for him each night.
“What do you mean, your mother says your prayers for you?” the puzzled minister inquired. The boy replied, “When mom tucks me in she always says, “Thank God he’s in bed.”
Well that’s one way of utilizing prayer as a way to get away from it all, but there’s much more.
As with many passages and verses in the Bible, you cannot claim the promises unless you meet the requirements.
There are conditional and unconditional promises of God found in the Bible. Most promises that begin with the word “if” are conditional.
God promises to do something if we do something. There are some passages that are also limited to people who live a certain way. Romans chapter 8 is one such passage. If you live according to Rom.8:1 “Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus” then Romans 8 is yours.
Our text, Psalm 91 is another. If you live according to Psalm 91:1 then the psalm is yours.
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 93:1 (NIV)
He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 93:1 (NKJV)
Notice the requirements of Psalm 91:1
“He that dwells” - not visits, not professes, not wishes, not rejects, Dwells.
Dwell means “abide”. to live or stay as a permanent resident; reside. to linger over, emphasize, or ponder in thought, speech, or writing
John 15:4 says “Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.”
We are to dwell in the place of refuge provided by God.
In the Hebrew the word is ????? (say’-ther) the word translated in the NIV as Shelter and the New King James translates the Hebrew as “secret place”.
In Hebrew the word ????? (say’-ther) literally means “a hiding place - to cover, to hide covertly or secretly”. In fact Psalm 32:7 it is translated as “hiding place” - “You are my hiding place: you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”
Did you know that mosquito repellants don’t actually “repel” at all? They hide you.
The spray blocks the mosquito’s sensors so they don’t know where you are.
In much the same way God can become our trouble repellant.
He doesn’t always dispel troubles
from our lives but He can hide us from them!
In this secret place, there is special protection and provision for those who believe God and trust Him to be their God in every situation and circumstances.
God’s miracles of protection and His power to keep the people of God in the face of great difficulties are seen time and again throughout the Bible and many know that power and protection today.
That person who sees you on the train, or in the restaurant, probably does not realize that you are actually dwelling and abiding in Christ.
They just see another person going about the business of the day.
They do not know that you are a child of the king and that your life is hid with Christ in God.
They have no understanding that you are a member of the real royal family.
Even if you tell most of them, they will either think that you are mad, or they will simply not understand.
They cannot see the shadow of the Lord on your life either.
But the spiritual world can. In the spirit, you are a marked person.
Both the angels and the demons know the truth about you, and they marvel.
Verse 2: I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
This is an act of your will.
You have a choice whether you say it or not.
It is better to say it than not to say it.
You also have a choice as to whether you do it or not.
I know that there have been times in my life when really I have been lying.
I have said that I trust in the Lord, but hidden away to everybody, except the Lord and myself,
is fear and uncertainty.
Sometimes my words have been cheap.
I have said that I’m not worried, but really I am. That is the time when I need to go back to the Lord and see what His promises and assurances are.
Proverbs 18:10 reminds us that “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe.”
In 1960, the Mau Mau uprising gripped Kenya. During that time, missionaries Matt and Lora Higgens had to drive through hostile territory on their way to Nairobi, well aware that many had met violent deaths at the hands of Mau Mau terrorists in that area. After dark, about 17 miles from Nairobi, the Land Rover they were driving failed. Matt tried in vain to repair the vehicle.
The couple was forced to lock the doors and pray for safety. They awoke safely, repaired the car, and travelled on to Nairobi.
Some days later, they heard an interesting story from an individual who was in contact with terrorist groups: As Matt and Lori had slept that night; three terrorists had come upon them and intended to kill them. Suddenly, though, the terrorists had seen 16 strongmen surrounding the car, and fled in fear!
Matt and Lora were puzzled about the identity of the 16 men-- until they returned to America several weeks later and heard the thrilling testimony of a friend: “On March 23, God burdened my heart for you. I called the men at our church, and SIXTEEN of us met together for emergency prayer on your behalf!” – Bill Bright, “How You Can Pray With Confidence” (1995 Campus Crusade for Christ), pp. 32-33.
Proverbs 29:25 “The fear of man lays a snare, but whoever trusts in the Lord is safe.”
Verse two ends by saying, “In Him will I trust.” To trust in something is to rest your faith in it. It is to rest to the point that no troubling concern remains.
Let me remind you tonight that 1 Peter 5:7 says, “Cast all your care upon Him, because He cares for you.”
Verse 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence.
This is an ongoing deliverance.
It is not something the Lord will do; it is something that He is doing.
The word salvation is also the word deliverance. The Lord’s salvation is ongoing.
Yes, He did save us. But He continues to save us. Our eternity is secure because of the Lord’s continuing deliverance.
But He is also interested in our lives right now. That is why He has given us the Holy Spirit to work in our lives and to work with us during times of trouble.
The fowler, here, is the devil. He is constantly trying to cause us difficulty. He is trying to trip you up or entrap you. However, the Lord is delivering us. It seems to me that often the Lord is delivering us and we don’t know anything about it.
His angels are working on our behalf without us being conscious of it. Probably the things which actually get through their protection are just a very small percentage of his attacks.
“deadly pestilence” can also be translated as “slanderous words” because the same Hebrew letters are used.
It would seem that we can claim deliverance from both sicknesses (including bird-flu) and slander of others.
Psalm 34:17 says “When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles”
There is a story of a believer, Frederick Nolan, who was fleeing from his enemies during a time of persecution in North Africa.
Pursued by them over the hill and valley with no place to hide, he fell exhausted into a wayside cave, expecting his enemies to find him soon.
Awaiting his death, he saw a spider weaving a web. Within minutes, the little spider had woven a beautiful web across the mouth of the cave.
The pursuers arrived and wondered if Nolan was hiding there, but on seeing the unbroken and unmangled piece of art, thought it impossible for him to have entered the cave without dismantling the web.
Therefore, they went on.
Having escaped, Nolan burst out and exclaimed, “Where God is, a spider’s web is like a wall.
Where God is not, a wall is like a spider’s web.”
Verse 4 He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings, you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
Again this is ongoing protection. He is doing it. He is like a mother hen protecting her chicks.
This is protection from both birds of prey and also from stormy winds.
There was An article in National Geographic several years ago provided a penetrating picture of God’s wings.
After a forest fire in Yellowstone National Park in the US, forest rangers began their trek up a mountain to assess the inferno’s damage.
One ranger found a bird literally petrified in ashes, perched statuesquely on the ground at the base of a tree. Somewhat sickened by the eerie sight, he knocked over the bird with a stick.
When he struck it, three tiny chicks scurried from under their dead mother’s wings.
The loving mother, keenly aware of impending disaster, had carried her offspring to the base of the tree and had gathered them under her wings, instinctively knowing that the toxic smoke would rise. She could have flown to safety but had refused to abandon her babies.
When the blaze had arrived and the heat had singed her small body, the mother had remained steadfast.
Because she had been willing to die, those under the cover of her wings would live.
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Truth is fact. Truth is Jesus. The buckler surrounds the soldier and carries His weapons.
The shield is protective. The buckler is offensive. And all our weapons are Jesus. In Ephesians 6 what do we notice about the armour and the weapons?
They are all Jesus.
Truth for the loins is Jesus.
The breastplate of righteousness is Jesus.
The gospel of peace for our feet is Jesus.
The shield of faith is Jesus.
The helmet of salvation is Jesus.
And the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, is Jesus.
Verse 5 You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
The Peace that Jesus gives is not the absence of trouble but is the confidence that He is there with you always.
In this age, we need these promises and assurances.
Terror exists all right.
These problems are very real.
It does not tell us to live in denial.
It tells us that we do not need to be afraid of them.
Our trust is in the Lord.
Long ago a man sought the perfect picture of peace. Not finding one that satisfied, he announced a contest to produce this masterpiece.
The challenge stirred the imagination of artists everywhere, and paintings arrived from everywhere.
Finally, the great day of revelation arrived.
The judges uncovered one peaceful scene after another while the viewers clapped and cheered. The tensions grew.
Only two pictures remained veiled.
As a judge pulled the cover from one, a hush fell over the crowd.
A mirror-smooth lake reflected lacy, green birches under the soft blush of the evening sky.
Along the grassy shore, a flock of sheep grazed undisturbed.
Unquestionably, this was the winner.
The man who started the contest, uncovered the final painting himself, and the crowd gasped in surprise.
Could this be peace?
A tumultuous waterfall cascaded down a rocky precipice; the crowd could almost feel its cold, penetrating spray.
Stormy-grey clouds threatened to explode with lightning, wind and rain.
In the midst of the thundering noises and bitter chill, a spindly tree clung to the rocks at the edge of the falls.
One of its branches reached out in front of the torrential waters as if foolishly seeking to experience its full power. A little bird had built a nest in the elbow of that branch.
Content and undisturbed in her stormy surroundings, she rested on her eggs.
With her eyes closed and her wings ready to cover her little ones, she manifested peace that transcends all earthly turmoil. – A Wardrobe from the King, Berit Kjos, pp. 45-46
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Verse 6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
It does not matter if the plans made against us are ones we are aware of (daytime) or ones which we never know about (nighttime) we do not need to live in fear.
Jesus constantly warned His disciples not to be afraid. He told them, “Fear not.” Jesus knew that fear itself would be our real enemy. If the devil can get us to live in fear then he does not even need to do the things which he has suggested are possible.
Isaiah 26:3-4 “You keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on you because he trusts in you. Trust in the Lord forever, for the Lord God is an everlasting rock.”
Verse 7 A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
I read about a Christian police officer who found himself in a very difficult situation one night with a group of thugs;
the men were coming toward him with pipes and knives and meant to do a lot of damage to him.
Suddenly they just turned and ran.
Latter the men were arrested on another matter and the police officer was curious to know why the men had run. They told him it was because of the five big men who stepped out of his car and started moving toward them.
The police officer was on patrol on his own that night, he realized that he had been protected by Angels! it encouraged his faith so much he became a Pastor.
John G. Paton was a missionary to the New Hebrides. He had aroused the enmity of the local native chief by his successes in the Gospel, the chief hired a man to kill the missionary.
The man went to the missionary’s house, but instead of murdering Paton, he returned in terror, saying he had seen a row of men, dressed in white, surrounding the missionary’ home. The chief thought the man had drunk too much whiskey and encouraged him to try again. The next time others of the tribe accompanied him. That night they all saw three rows of men surrounding Paton’s home. When the chief asked the missionary where he kept the men in the daytime who surrounded his house at night, Paton, knowing nothing of what had happened, disclaimed the whole idea.
When the chief in his amazement, told his story, the missionary realised the natives had seen an angelic company which God had sent to protect him.
Verse 8 You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.
Bill Hybels, in his book Too Busy Not To Pray, wrote
Sometime when you’re in an airport, observe the difference between passengers who hold confirmed tickets and those who are on standby. The ones with confirmed tickets read newspapers, chat with their friends or sleep. The ones on standby hang around the ticket counter and pace back and forth. The difference is caused by the confidence factor. If you knew that in fifteen minutes you would have to stand in judgment before the Holy God and learn your eternal destiny, what would your reaction be? Would you smoke and pace? Would you say to yourself, “I don’t know what God’s going to say--will it be ’Welcome home, child,’ or will it be ’Depart from me; I never knew you’?
Christian, when you stand at the judgment throne you will see, among other things, the wicked rewarded for their evil deeds.
It will not be a great time. God, Himself, will not be happy at sending men and women to eternal doom.
Psalm 32:10-11 “Many are the sorrows of the wicked, but steadfast love surrounds the one who trusts in the Lord. Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart!”
Jesus has paid the price for your Salvation, because of what He has done, it is all of Him not of you.
Verse 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the LORD, who is my refuge-
We sing about entering the presence of God. Actually, according to this, we enter into God Himself.
We dwell in Him, and He dwells in us.
He is our Temple, and we are His temple.
That gives us more of a reason to live as we should.
We need to be knowing that your body really is a temple with two inhabitants: the Holy Spirit and the holy you!
In the Old Testament, we read about the establishment of cities of refuge.
They were five cities set aside for those guilty of certain crimes to reside in free from harassment. They had to remain there until the death of the High Priest. It is very different for us. We were guilty. And we have escaped into the Lord as our refuge. We remain there, not until the death of the High Priest, but BECAUSE of the death of Jesus Christ.
Our dwelling is where we live - we’re not just an occasional guest.
Our relationship with God should not consist of only occasional visits.
Especially if that visit is solely for the purpose of helping us out of trouble.
Jesus reinforced this insight when he said, “If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.” (John 15:7)
It would be easy for us to zero in on the last part of Christ’s statement and fail to grasp the significance of the first part.
We love the “ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you” part of Christ’s promise.
We ignore the condition: IF, if we’re going to ask so that God answers our prayers, we must “remain” in Christ and His words must “remain” in us.
Verse 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
Think about it. If God is our habitation how can plague come near Him? This shows us how we are eternally safe. Jesus taught His disciples to pray “Deliver us from evil,” or “Deliver us from the evil one.” We don’t need to pray it in quite the same way because the Lord has already delivered us from evil. We have been delivered out of our own evil and also out of evil intended against us.
Verse 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
The angels are assigned to keep us in Jesus.
He is our way. When we sing, “Show me your way..” We are asking God to show us more of Jesus. His ways are not a set of principles, His way is Jesus. Jesus is God’s ultimate message to the world.
Whatever the question we may have, the answer God gives is Jesus.
It is very good to know that the Lord has appointed a group angels to guard and protect us. We may joke about them, or treat them lightly, but they are actually warrior angels sent to fight on our behalf and to minister to us as and when we need them.
Verse 12 they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
Jesus, Himself, was protected by the angels of God when the people from Nazareth wanted to throw Him from the cliff. (see Luke 4).
To throw someone down was the beginning of stoning them. They would want to break the persons leg, or cause them such an injury that he would not be able to run away, or duck and dive. The angels ensured that Jesus would not dash His foot against a stone, or be injured by a stone in any other way.
His time had not yet come.
Verse 13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
What appears to be above your head is really under your feet. Each of these four “beings” is a description of a satanic being.
The devil is called a roaring lion, the old serpent, the dragon. We can be at peace in God and the enemy is easily trodden down.
Verse 14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
We may love Him because He first loved us, but with that love comes our salvation and our exaltation.
It is the name which is higher than any other that sets us into the blessing of the Lord.
Everything we have is in that Name.
Knowing the Name of God is not really the secret here. It is knowing the Person who owns the name which sets us free.
Because we know the Person we also own the Name.
We know it and can use it.
We use it before the throne of grace to receive help in time of trouble.
We use it in prayer and have an assurance that what we ask for we will receive.
We use that Name to overcome the enemy.
The Lord’s Name must cause the devil and his demons so much pain and anguish.
Verse 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.
This is another great promise from the Lord.
It is not just a promise, it is a fact.
We call upon Him; He answers us.
He is with us in trouble. He does deliver us.
And to our utter surprise, He does honour us.
We close with Verse 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.
You cannot get longer life than eternal life.
And eternal life is quality life.
The Lord is satisfied with us (Isaiah 53:11) and we are satisfied with Him.
Be encouraged - as believers, you and I have no grounds for fear or any reason to be dejected.
No conflicts or predicaments should crush us,
as long as we can draw close to God.
We have no idea how long the onslaught of trouble might last or how deep the troubled waters may get, but they will pass and we will have ultimate deliverance.
Remember the Eternal, Omnipotent, Omniscient, Ever-Present God is not only our Refuge but is our Deliverer.”
AMEN
