“He
who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the
Almighty…” “If you make the Most High your dwelling-even the LORD, who is my
refuge- then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.”
–Psalms 91:1, 9-10
Psalm
91 is one of the most famous chapters of scripture. It has been read by
soldiers, law enforcement officers, first responders, and your average mom or
dad going through a difficult time. Its words have encouraged countless hearts
for generations. Psalm 91speaks of a wonderful promise from God. That is, a
promise of protection for those who “make the Most High their dwelling.”
In
this passage God promises to protect us from four spiritual dangers the enemy (Satan)
throws at us. First, God promises to protect us from the “fowler’s snare”. No
one is exempt from being tempted (1st Cor. 10:13). Jesus Himself was
tempted. Not only that, each of us have certain temptations of the flesh that
are more of a struggle for us than others. This promise insures that God will
protect us from that snare that we so easily fall into time and time again.
Next
God promises to protect us from “deadly pestilence” and the “plague that
destroys at midday.” A pestilence or plague is a disease or infection that
contagiously spreads throughout a community. What do you see others around you
being consumed by? Perhaps it’s a mindset or way of thinking such as
negativity, hate, racism, bitterness, etc. God promises to protect you from
that pestilence and plague that is consuming so many.
God
also promises to protect us from the “terror of night”. The Bible tells us in 2nd
Timothy 1:7 that God has not given us a spirit of fear. Many in our society are
paralyzed by fear, worry, and anxiety over the stresses of life and the events
that are taking place in the world. For those of us who have chosen to “rest in
the shadow of the Almighty”, God’s promise is that we will rest with a peace
that “surpasses all understanding” (Phi. 4:7).
Lastly
God promises to protect us from the arrow that flies by day. Ephesians 6:16
encourages us to take up the shield of faith to extinguish the flaming arrows
of the evil one. Those of us who love the Lord have a target on our backs and
Satan and his demons have us in their crosshairs. But thank God that our faith
in our Deliverer protects us from His attacks.
Now,
all this sounds great, but Psalm 91 tells us that all these promises of
protection are conditional. Psalm 91:9 tells us that condition; “IF you make the Most High your dwelling-…” Jesus
goes even further in John 15:6
“I
am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will
bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in
me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are
picked up, thrown into the fire to be burned.” –John 15:5-6
These
promises to protect us from Satan’s attacks, temptation, fear and worry, and
the evil that seems to consume so many others are conditional upon us having a living relationship with Jesus
Christ. The “shelter of the Most High” and the “shadow of the Almighty” covers
those who make the Most High their dwelling. Are you “dwelling” in Him? Are you
daily spending time with Him in prayer, worship, and reading the Word?
There
is nothing more important in this life than your relationship with Jesus. Are
you “remaining in Him”? Remain in His love, stay rooted in His Word, drink of
His Spirit, make HIM you dwelling, your shelter, your hiding place and these
blessings of protection will come upon today. If you do not have a relationship
with Jesus, start one by confessing and forsaking your sins and putting your
faith in Him. Do it now, while your heart still beats.
No comments:
Post a Comment