Psalm 91
I am encouraged by the title of this psalm “Safety in abiding in the presence of God”. This is such a profound truth that unfortunately many people never understand and because of this never make the effort to live in God’s presence. Verse 1 says: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty”. NLT “Those who live in the shelter of the Most Hgh will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty”. This verse starts with an invitation, not a command and this demonstrates how God has given everyone a free will, we are not puppets of God. This is why we make Him so happy when we choose to accept His love and follow Him because we want to. This verse also reinforces the truth that you cannot add being a Christian to the way that you may live – you are either born again or you are not, there is nothing in between. This is the area of your life in which Satan attacks regularly. The verse commences with the statement “He who dwells (lives)” which defines the people who benefit from God’s provision. There is a danger that when we read one of God’s promises we think that we can receive it without meeting the condition of God’s promise. I like what the NLT says: “Those who live in the shelter of the Most High”, I love this name of God “Most High”, it clearly says that God is overall so we have nothing to fear when we live God’s way. It describes the presence of God as “The shadow of the Almighty”, there is no shadow without a light to cast the shadow. This means God’s light is above every situation we face and we can take great comfort in the shadow of the Almighty. To understand the greatness of this shadow, when the Angel said to Mary that she would give birth to Jesus, she asked how could this happen? The Angel said to her “And the power of the Highest will overshow you”(Luke 1:35). It is good to pause at this moment and try to comprehend the greatness of the shadow of the Most High. Verse 2 says: “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and fortress; My God in Him will I trust”. NLT “This I declare of the Lord; He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I am trusting in him”. We are living in a world in which there is so much uncertainty if we take our eyes off the Lord. I am so encouraged by the Psalmist for he says: “God alone is my refuge” when we believe this it takes away all uncertainty that the god of this world would like us to believe, but we know that he is a liar and we can turn to the truth of God’s word for comfort. This is the greatness of our God for He knows the end from the beginning so He can provide for us what we need in every situation that we face. I want to remind you of the title of this psalm “Safety in abiding in the presence of God”. There is no better time than now to make every effort to put away all distractions so that we can rest in the divine provision of the Lord.