The Umbrella Anointing

I. Abiding Under the Shadow

A. Text: Psalm 91:1-16

“[1] He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. [2] I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’ [3] Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. [4] He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. [5] You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, [6] Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. [7] A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. [8] Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. [9] Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, [10] No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; [11] For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. [12] In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. [13] You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. [14] Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. [15] He shall 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 I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation." {NKJV}

B. All throughout the Word of God we see various references to His protection and blessing upon His people. But His protection and blessings are both conditional. While God’s love is never conditional – His protection and blessings must be.

C. The only true way to fully walk in the total protection of God and dwell under the flow of His blessings is to do so in obedience. Obedience is the key to living with God’s best in your life!

D. If you’re walking outside of God’s best – it’s probably because there is an area of your life that is living outside of commands.

E. There’s a funny story of the deacon who was baptized in water. When the preacher told him that what goes under the water is symbolically totally submitted to God once and for all, the deacon said, that’s fine preacher, just let me hold my wallet outside the water before you put me under!

F. Today I want to talk about living under the umbrella of God’s anointing. Living under the umbrella of God’s protection and blessing.

G. The ultimate purpose of an umbrella is protection. The most common use is protection from rain. But others use umbrellas to protect from the sun.

H. There are various types of umbrellas that God has set up in His Word that are set up for the purposes of protection and blessing. Some are:

1) God Himself is an Umbrella

2) God’s Word is an Umbrella

3) Government has been set up as an Umbrella

4) The Church has been set up as an Umbrella

5) Church Leadership (Pastors/Elders) are Umbrellas

6) Husbands have been Established by God’s Word as Umbrellas for the home

7) Parents are the Umbrellas of protection and blessing to the children

I. And, I can give you Scripture for each of these seven types of umbrella protection. Time won’t permit me to share each of those references. But, again, seven is the number of perfection, the number of completion.

J. The use of an umbrella to symbolize protection is commonly understood and accepted. In the insurance industry, an overall coverage of protection is referred to as an “umbrella policy.” In the Bible, similar symbols teach the concepts of provision, protection, headship, and leadership.

K. The use of this symbol in relation to the family is to give special encouragement to fathers to protect, instruct, lead, and provide for their wives, sons, and daughters. It is also to remind the family that no father is perfect, but as they pray for him and encourage him, they can increase his ability and motivation to fulfill his God-given responsibilities.

L. In addition to the father, Scripture has other umbrella analogies: The cloud of protection that God gave to Israel during their forty years in the wilderness (Exodus 13:21–22), the shadow of God’s hand over His people (Isaiah 51:15–16), “the shadow of the Almighty” (Psalm 91:1), and the wings of a mother hen (Matthew 23:37).