Psalm 91 Trusting God in the midst of danger.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling.

…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. He shall 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 I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.”

The words dwell and abide are powerful words which shows us where we are to be resting, which is under the shadow of the Almighty. The word almighty means nothing is above Him, everything is under His power and command. So, being under this power is a secure place. The Psalmist goes on to say that God is also a refuge and a fortress. A refuge is where you are safe from harm and a fortress is a strong wall against an enemy onslaught.

God is not only a place of refuge but He will deliver, then cover us with His wings. Under a bird’s wings is a warm and soothing place where nothing can attack from above.

His truth is our shield and buckler which are items used for protection in battle. His truth is how we fight. According to Ephesians 5:14 and 16 we gird our waists with truth and use it as a shield in battle. The shield of faith believes in God’s promises which will be able to quench all the fiery darts (doubts) of the enemy. God’s Word is a powerful weapon when we believe what it says.

From this position of protection, we don’t need to be afraid of the enemies that assail us. The terror by night or day or the arrow that flies by day are used as examples. Terror is extreme fear where you are in grave danger and there is no one to help. You are exposed and on your own. But because you are under the shadow of the Almighty, you don’t need to fear. You are protected and not alone. God is your refuge.

It goes on to say in verse 10 that no evil shall befall you. What does this mean, because the whole book of Psalms shows all the evil that the Psalmist finds himself in? It is how you look at it. While on this earth in our mortality, we all will be experiencing many trials in various severities. But, because we have set our love on Him and are His beloved children, these trials will come through the hand of a loving Father who is in complete control. He turns them for our everlasting good and uses them to bring in His kingdom preparing us for His glory in eternity. So, when you look at the end result of what He is doing and where He is going, trials are not an ultimate evil, though it may seem so at the time. But as we go through them, He is protecting, sheltering and teaching us how to fight with His shield of truth.

This is how He acts towards His beloved children, his own special people. He sets them on high and answers them. God will deliver in the way He sees fit and in His timing. Sometimes this timing is when we leave this prison of our body and go to be with Him forever. But He will deliver, and in the meantime, He is right there in trouble ready to hear us when we call. God is our refuge and strength a very present help in trouble.