Read Psalm 91
1 Whoever 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 say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake 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 on 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 on 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.”
Go Deeper
Who God is will protect you: He is faithful. Remember God. The author of this psalm is unknown, but many people presume it is either written by Moses, due to its similar themes to Psalm 90, or that David wrote it, as it is similar to Psalms 27 and 31. Regardless of who the author is, the message of this chapter stays the same: it exists as an encouragement to continue on in faith and a reminder of who our God is.
The chapter opens by emphasizing that those who believe in the Lord will find protection with Him. Shelter, shadow, refuge, and fortress all create this idea of safety found in Christ. It then goes on to explain the trials this protection is from – the fowler’s snare and deadly pestilence – are the devil trying to separate us from who God is. But he is no match for who our God is. It is clearly stated here that our protection is not because we have a weak enemy, but a powerful God. The bold declaration of assurance that our God is our protector comes from having a clear understanding of who God is. He is able to remain confident because he knows who his God is.
So often our problem comes from where we think too little of God and too big of ourselves. When trials come we may lose sight of who God is and instead try to take matters into our own hands. But nearness to the Father expands our vision of who He is. Proverbs 3:5 instructs us to “trust in the Lord your God with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding.” When we spend time getting to know God – either through learning who Scripture says He is, by praying and seeking a relationship with Him, or by remembering who we have known God to be in the past – we begin to have a full understanding of the powerful protector whom we can call our friend.
Hebrews 10:23 says “Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” This psalm is meant to challenge us to expand our view of who our God is and to remain faithful. It’s a reminder for us to not stray because of fear when hardship comes, but to lean on God because we know who He is.
Questions
- How does this chapter describe God? Create a list of His names and attributes.
- What does it look like for God to be your refuge and for you to dwell in His shelter?
- What are fears or trials that you are going through that you can trust in God to help you with?
Did you Know?
In Matthew 4:1-11 when Jesus is tempted in the desert, the devil quotes Psalm 91:11-12 in an attempt to try to trick Jesus to jump. Not only does he take this passage out of context and twist it, but Jesus also in a way provides commentary on the passage saying we are not to test God (Deuteronomy 6:16).
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6 thoughts on “Wisdom Psalms: Psalm 91”
Who or what is our central point? Who or what is your dominating focus? God has so many promises of how He will protect, guide, love, shelter, understand, deliver, cover, be faithful, ect. He should be our central focus. BUT GOD thankfully reminds us daily (minutely) if we let him that He has us, He loves us, and He is for us. We just have to listen and obey and claim the victories that He has provided. “We take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:5).
God I thank You for that You are my shelter. Thank You that I can abide in Your shadow. I will say You are my refuge and fortress in whom I trust. I believe You deliver me from all pestilence, terror, plague, evil schemes. Thank You that Your angels surround me at all times. Because You hold fast to me in love, You will deliver me and proctect me because You know my name. When I call on You, You will answer me. You will be with me in all trouble as I honor You. You will satisfy me with long life through my salvation. God thank You that You help me to bring You back constantly to You being my central focus. Thank You for my life glorifing You in all I say and do with these minutes You give me to love on Your people today in Jesus name amen
WOOHOO!!!!!!
I was driven to tears this morning reading verses 14-16 in a whole new light. Our God, the creater of the universe loves me and loves you.
As you read through these verses, replace the prounouns with YOUR NAME and see how powerful his love is for us. This is a love song to us.
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 on 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.”
So good!
The very first word of Psalm 91 is “whoever.” God calls ALL of us to
“dwell in the shelter of the Most High so we will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty” (v1). The Hebrew word for dwell is “yashab” meaning “to sit, remain, inhabit as is in one’s abode/home.” Mentioned over 400 times in scripture, it’s an important concept for us to grasp. To dwell means to be fully present. If someone were to observe our daily rhythms and routines who or what are we most engaged with? Sadly for many of it’s the devices in our hands we numb out with. John Mark Comer in his book Practicing the Way calls us to dwell/apprentice with Jesus, to be with Jesus, become like him, and do as he did. There’s no better way to invest our lives!
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
The old hymn, A Mighty Fortress Is Our God, moves my soul!
I take comfort in knowing God watches over me/us.