“The Ultimate Bodyguard”
Psalm 91:1-4 & 9-16
Some of you may know from either reading my personal testimony or just talking with me, that I had a rough upbringing. My parents divorced when I was very young. This shocked my sister and I both because we never saw it coming. Not more than a year later my mother walked out on my sister and I one Friday in October. My father was en route to pick us up for the weekend and when he turned on to our street, he saw in the distance, his two children sitting on the sidewalk crying uncontrollably. As fast as he could pull into the driveway, he was holding us and protecting us from anymore harm.
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Today I now know that my earthly father wasn’t the only one holding us. My Heavenly Father was there holding us, protecting us, and keeping us free from all harm. This scripture has become very dear to me and has brought me tremendous comfort.
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As we look at the Word here in Psalm 91, I believe that we will discover once again just how much God loves us.
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Bible scholars agree that this particular psalm was probably written by one of the temple personnel (that being a priest or a Levite) as a promise to godly worshippers.
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Verse 1 states right off the bat that those (which are those who are followers of the Lord) who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, WILL rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Did you see that? Did you hear that? He who dwells in Him WILL rest in Him! To me…that’s a promise right there. The sheer fact here is, is that the psalmist was so confident in his relationship with the Lord that the love and provision the Lord bestowed upon him and ultimately to us HAD to be the very first thing he writes down. He who dwells in Him, will rest in Him!
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SO in verse 1, the psalmist makes a rock solid statement about the security we have in the Lord for those who trust in Him. That statement is for all to hear and believe in. But look at verse 2...he makes it personal! KJV reads it this way, “I will say of the Lord, He is MY refuge, He is MY fortress, MY God, in Him will I trust!” It’s personal! I can almost see this psalmist in front of the temple proclaiming this verse…”I don’t know about you.. But this is what I know…He’s MINE, MY refuge, MY fortress, MY God! It‘s totally personal, but to the point (Blind Man Ref. John 9:1-25)
Looking at verse 3...This is a perfect example of how a father protects and shelters his children. I believe that fathers (at least the majority in my opinion) do whatever they can to keep their children safe from all harm. But, unfortunately, there are times that we, as fathers, are not able to get to our children quick enough when something does happen. I remember times when my father was there for me, and I also remember times when he wasn’t there. Bottom line…we are human and are not perfect. We’ll let each other down no matter how you set it up. Friend to friend, husband to wife, parents to children. It’s not our desire to deliberately fail one another, but it happens!
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The good news about our Heavenly Father is that everything I just mentioned about earthly fathers, does not apply! It is promised that the Lord will save us from any and all harm that the enemy (Satan) may throw our ways. Once again…My Refuge and my Fortress! In Joshua 1:5 and in Hebrews 13:5, God reminds us that He will NEVER leave us nor forsake us.
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But there are times when it feels like the rug or rugs have been pulled out from under us, and we wonder why. We are human and we do hurt sometimes. In Oct. of 2004, I went through three (3) funerals in a span of 13 days, in 3 different states! On three consecutive Mondays that month, either my wife or I received information about someone dear in our lives passing away. What a tough time in our lives. But did God keep us safe and comfort us under His wings? Yes He did! Did He hide the hurting of all three of those families under His wings and heal them? Yes He did! Will He always be there? Yes! Will His faithfulness be our shield and barricade? Yes! Verse 4 claims that to be true! He will cover you, He will give you refuge, and He will put a shield on you and a barricade around you with His righteousness. That’s my Dad!
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Let’s move on to verse 9 and 10...As you look at verse 9, the word “If” is the key word. The psalmist, in verse 1, is talking to those who have already made the Most High, the Lord, their dwelling place.
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But the “If” in verse 9 is directed towards those who haven’t yet turned to the Lord. As it goes on into verse 10, it is clear to me that the psalmist is really pouring out his heart by saying that the Lord will do the same thing for you as He has done for him. There’s an imploring going on at this time in this verse. He is trying to make it clear as day that if you choose to follow the Lord, which is Christ, no harm will come to you, no disaster will come near your tent .
Some of you may have the KJV version that states in verse 9, “Because thou hast made the Lord…thy habitation”. Though it is referencing to those who have chosen to follow the Lord, the imploring from the psalmist is still the same. Whether you have or have not chosen the right path, he is making it clear about the umbrella of protection that comes along with choosing Christ.
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We’ve covered how the Lord protects His own and how He keeps us free from harm; the psalmist even takes it further!
*I could only imagine how “on fire” this guy was when he wrote this psalm. I mean you can feel his confidence throughout the verses. One must take under consideration what the Lord has done in his life to make him write the way he does.
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Verse 11 (I love this verse)”For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways”. WOW!!!!! Did you hear that? It doesn’t say He will ask or He will recommend…it says HE WILL COMMAND His angels concerning YOU (once again he’s making it personal) to guard you in all (not some but all) of your ways. Listen to verse 12 & 13 (Read both verses)
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So the Lord commands His angels to guard you and lift you up in their hands so your foot won’t strike the stone. But listen to this…
Do you see how it states in vv13 that you will tread upon the lion and the cobra and you will trample the great lion and serpent? The double reference to lions and snakes , to me, focuses on the multiple mortal threats that the world poses to man. But really look at this verse…And let me ask you a question…How are we to tread upon the lion and cobra and trample on the great lion and serpent (worldly threats)? Well, you can’t accomplish this feat being on the same level as the lion and serpent, can you?. The only way to accomplish this feat is to be raised up and above the threats. The angels will lift you up in their hands so you can tread and trample on the threats that come your way. So you can tread and trample your addictions, your fears, and anything else that hinders you from strengthening your walk with the Lord. THAT IS AWESOME!!!!
And to wrap it up…“The WILLS”(A personal message from our Lord.) Listen to vv 14-16 and count how many times the Lord specifies how He WILL cover us.
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“Because he loves me, says the Lord, I WILL rescue him; I WILL protect him, for he acknowledges My name. He will call upon Me, and I WILL answer him; I WILL be with him in trouble, I WILL deliver him and honor him. With long life, WILL I satisfy and show him My salvation.” You figure out how many?
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I counted 6 times… but the word WILL appears 7 times, right?
Here’s the key…look at vv15...”He will call upon Me, and I will answer him”. The first ‘will’ does not apply to the other WILL’S. The question is why doesn‘t it apply?
ANSWER-If you don’t know Him, how can you call upon Him?
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SO my question to you is…Do you know Him? Do you know the Ultimate Bodyguard? If not, all of these promises in this psalm are waiting for you. Jeremiah 33:3 says this…”Call on Me and I WILL show you great and mighty things that you do not know.”
