A few weeks ago we talked about how precious God's name is and the love that is expressed to us in His name. But do you realize how secure we are in God's name? In today’s message, let’s listen while the psalmist tells us how great our God is.
I'll have to admit, that even as a Christian, I have sometimes found my security in things other than God. Like money in the bank, college degrees on the wall, recognition for my work, or friends by my side. What I'm learning, though, is that God really is my security and help.
I pray just about every day for God to give me peace and hide me in the shadow of His wings as the Psalmist wrote. As I have gotten older, the peace that I have now is very real, but I wish I had learned that when I was younger. If so, I would have dealt with fewer fears and less worry as I trusted God to guard me in His power. If you tend to look for security in something other than God, I pray that this message today will help you trust and rest in Him as it has me. Prayer.
So the title of the message today is the security of God's name. The writer of Psalm 91 understood what anxiety was and shared some ideas of how to rest in the security of God. The very first two verses of this Psalm testify to God's faithful protection. Then we're given some advice. Finally, God interjects His promise of protection in the last three verses. So this Psalm assures us that God cares for all who place their trust in Him. But do we really believe that?
Psalm 91:1-2 – “The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust:
Can you trust in the protective power of God? We don't really know the situation that led to the writing of this Psalm, but these words are an encouragement to trust in the protective power of God. These opening verses are a declaring of trust, a certainty in what God provides because of who He is. In Him we can find strength and protection.
We live in a world that is filled with trouble, and we're really unprepared on our own to deal with all the issues that are going on today. Evidently the psalmist lived in a similar world. God, the most high, the Almighty, was his refuge, fortress, and dwelling place.
Verse 1 assures us that if followers of God choose to dwell in the shadow of the Almighty, they will live under God's protection. To help us understand who God is, the writer uses four names to describe God.
He is "the Most High," a name that reminds us that no enemy can compare to God.
He is the Almighty, or the Sovereign One who can accomplish whatever He plans. Even in His shadow we can find protection for those who follow Him.
Next, He is "the Lord" , or "Yahweh," the "I am." He always has been and always will be, and He is a covenant-keeping God. He keeps His promises to us.
And finally God is identified as "my God", an indication of the personal relationship that the writer had with God. So the psalmist was speaking about his God, and he wanted others to know Him too. Can you call God, my God?
But you might notice that the names of God aren't the only way the psalm directs us to God's protective power. He used metaphors to make his point and describes God as protection, shadow, refuge, and fortress. He is our shelter, our safety, and our strength.
Can we trust a God like that? Surely, we can. Do you trust God that much? This combination of names and images reminds us that God is more magnificent than our minds can even imagine. He is the sovereign, ever-present, and everlasting God who has the power to protect His children. God isn't a false god who sits on a shelf; He's the true God who graciously calls us to Himself to be His children.
God wants us to be aware that He protected, rescued, and sheltered the psalmist, and God offers the same care to us today. We can trust Him, knowing that He is powerful to guard us against anything we face. At the same time, we need to realize how defenseless we are when we try to overcome difficulties in our own power. We can't fully protect ourselves, but He can. And He does.
I know we hear these words and say, “Amen,” but do we really believe it? If we really believe what God is telling us and if we really trust Him, then why do we worry? Why do we have pity parties when things bring us down? God says, "I am here. Trust Me. Believe in Me. Stop going through the motions and let Me in."
Psalm 91:3-6 – “He himself will rescue you from the bird trap, from the destructive plague. 4 He will cover you with his feathers; you will take refuge under his wings.
His faithfulness will be a protective shield. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
the arrow that flies by day, 6 the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon.”
I know you have heard this and read this many times but with God, we are never alone. These verses remind us that God protects us, and He expects us to tell others about Him. If we look closely at these verses, we can see that the psalmist took seriously the task of telling others about God. We can see that he not only talked about God's protective care in his own life, but he invited others to trust God. He shifts his emphasis from the third person, (the one), and the first person, (I), and now speaks to the second person, (you).
If you are a Christian, then you know that life after you've accepted Christ isn't always easy. In fact, it's sometimes really hard. Battles might come to us, but they also torment our hearts. The psalmist knew it was impossible to describe everything we might face, so he used several images to capture the adversity that we might encounter: birds trap, plague, terror, arrow, and pestilence.
And all these struggles hit us in the daytime and at night. It's almost as if they are stalking us, creating a fear, and wanting to destroy us. As long as we live in a fallen world that's distorted by sin, we're going to face this struggle and opposition.
But the good news is that God doesn't leave us in this battle by ourselves. The psalmist emphasizes that when he says, "He Himself is the one who rescues us. He covers us with His feathers." It's His faithfulness that guards us no matter what we face. When we read this, it should give us great strength and hope, since no one is greater than the Most High who watches over us. Do you realize the power of God?
As we read this we get the picture that God cares for us like a mother bird protects her baby, hiding us under His feathers and His wings. And in His protection, we find cover and refuge. At the same time, He's our protective shield who surrounds us and deflects the arrows of life we all face. He's our hiding place when we're overwhelmed. If you have never felt that secure being a child of God, maybe God is speaking to you right now.
Psalm 91:9-13 – “Because you have made the Lord—my refuge, the Most High—your dwelling place, 10 no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. 11 For he will give his angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. 12 They will support you with 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 young lion and the serpent.”
Again, the psalmist uses various images like plagues, lions, and serpents to describe troubles, but his point wasn't to define specific trials. Instead, it was for us to recognize these trials while pointing to God who is our security in those trials. He wrote with strong words describing that we have victory through God - no harm will come to you.
And just like God, the psalmist isn't denying the fact that we will face trouble. In fact, because we've chosen to follow Jesus, we can assume that we will face opposition. Some believers around the world are probably facing persecution right now as we speak. But the hope and security for all of us is God, our refuge and dwelling place who sends His angels to protect us.
It would almost be easy for us to read these verses and come to the conclusion that we're never going to face any difficulties. After all, these words tell us that nothing will harm us, and no struggle will come near us. The angels watch over us. If we take the words literally we can even trample on lions and snakes without being harmed. All will be good, or so it seems. But there's several truths in these verses that show us why Psalm 91 doesn't mean we will never face any trouble. And here are four of those truths:
-We live in a world that is full of sin. Paul wrote that even creation itself groans for God to restore all things. So we wait patiently for God's redemption, trusting that He's using even our suffering for our good and His glory.
-Scripture tells us we will face trouble as believers. Jesus warned His disciples they would face persecution and death. Paul told Timothy about persecution for all who want to live godly lives. Peter warned believers about an adversary "looking for anyone he can devour."
-Another truth is that God uses difficulties to grow our faith. It's through difficulties that we learn endurance that leads to maturity. As God comforts us in our trials, He equips us to comfort others who are suffering.
-Another obvious truth is that we witness to the world when we trust God in our suffering. It's when we're suffering that we cling to God the tightest, isn't it? When we can celebrate in the Lord regardless of what we face, the world often takes note of our faith. They notice. “How can you be at such peace at this time?
As we look at all of this we see that the images of protection in Psalm 91 are not promises of life without conflict. Instead, they are assurances that God will take care of us through our conflict. Our rule is simply to continually trust and depend on Him.
Psalm 91:14 – “Because he has his heart set on me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name.”
So God says that He will protect those whose hearts are set on Him. The focus now changes from the psalmist speaking to a message from God. No longer is the psalmist the one comforting others. God is. God assures us that He will do what the psalmist said He would do. In particular, God offers assurance to His follower who has his heart set on God and who knows His name.
How do we set our hearts on God? We cling to Him in love, not unlike the way God is devoted to loving us. It means to have a deeply held desire for the Lord, a yearning from the depth of our being. It means attaching our heart to the object of affection, in this case, to God. The heart set on God leaps with joy at His name.
And here's where we need to take notice. To know God's name is to acknowledge Him and to have a relationship with Him. Knowing God's name is the equivalent of knowing His character. So we're not talking about just a head knowledge of God, but a heart knowledge as we believe. It's following God because of who He is.
To those who know and love God, He promises Himself. And He offers many blessings, two of which are found in verse 14. As the psalmist previously said, and as God keeps His promises, He will deliver and protect His own. He will rescue them and position them in a place of security.
That is why God is worthy of our praise and love. And just getting to know God better should increase our love for Him. He protects us as we love Him, and then we love Him more as our protector. There are many of us who need to be delivered from some trial that we might be going through right now. There are some that may need protection from something in their life right now. God says, “You can count on Me.” So God continues:
Psalm 91:15-16 – “When he calls out to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. 16 I will satisfy him with a long life
and show him my salvation.”
God continues in these two verses. Those who love Him and know Him surely want to talk to Him as well. We've already learned that God promises deliverance and protection to those who love Him and know Him. In these final two verses, God explains what He will do for those who call out to Him.
So as you think about whatever trial you may be going through right now, whatever sorrow that is saddening your heart, or whatever it is in life that tends to be bringing you down, you may ask, “Why should I take all of this to God?” Here is why.
- He answers our prayers. He is not a false god who has ears but can't hear. He invites us to come to Him, He wants to hear from us, and He responds to us. That alone is amazing!
- He's with us in trouble. He is God with us in our good times and bad times. Because of who He is and what He promises, in His shadow is a safe place to be.
- He rescues us and gives us honor. He delivers us, and he rewards us for our faithful trust. He grants us honor, even though He alone is the source and sustainer of our faith.
- He satisfies us with long life. He offers blessings and joy in the life He gives us now, and gives us a glimpse of the life He will grant us for eternity.
- He shows us His salvation. And hear this, none of us need to wait for His salvation to come. He is our salvation, and He gives Himself to us. We celebrate His deliverance today and His deliverance yet to come.
As we read this text we hear the words “I will” over and over again. That repetition is more than just first-person language. It's a repeated reminder that God is the focus of this story. It's He who protects, answers, rescues, honors, satisfies, and shows. He gives Himself to us in the Holy Spirit. Why would we not call on Him in times of need? That, my friends, is the awesome God we worship today.
I encourage you today that in whatever trial or tribulation you may be experiencing right now, go to God in prayer and trust Him that He will handle whatever situation it is once you place it in His hands.
God has told us today that we need more than just a head knowledge of who He is. We need to have a relationship with Him. That means that you need to know Him in your heart. If you have never made that decision to ask God to come into your life and you have never accepted Jesus Christ as your personal Savior, we give you that opportunity right now as we pray.
