Psalm 91 Part 2
As we continue with this psalm we see the continuing benefit of abiding in the presence of the Lord. Verse 3 says: “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and the perilous pestilence! This is a definite statement, not a suggestion – it is something that will take place and we can take great comfort from this fact. The first thing it talks about is being protected from the snare (trap) of our enemy. The interesting thing about snares/ traps is that for them to be effective they must be hidden from our view. This means we are not aware of how many times the Lord has saved us from a dangerous situation, but He is doing it all the time. It is good to be reminded of our ever-present protection from the Lord, then the verse goes on that He also protects us from things that are visible to us. I am so glad that being in the presence of the Lord gives us unlimited protection in all situations. Verse 4 says: “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings, you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” NLT “His faithful promises are your armour and protection”. This is a very interesting verse because it declares the difference between the Attributes of God and His nature. A bird’s wing is made up of many feathers which together produce the strength and effectiveness of the wing. God has many attributes – Peace, Longsuffering, and Power, just to name a few and this verse reminds us that we are covered by God’s many attributes and that should be a comfort to us. Then the verse goes on to say that we can take refuge in the nature of God, He does not change so when we chose to live God’s way there is supernatural protection for us to enjoy. The final point this verse says is that we are protected by Good’s faithful promises to us. There are so many promises that are available to us so that the enemy cannot affect the way that we live. Verse 5-6 says “You shall not be afraid by 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”. These verses declare in specific detail how God protects us when we abide in the presence of the Lord. We have a good example of this over the last two years with COVID 19, sadly many Christians have allowed themselves to be overcome by the constant bombardment by the media and are fearful. God’s presence has been available to us all the time and I am so thankful for it. I have found a great time to reinforce what I believe. Verses 7-8 say “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near to you. Only with your eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked”. These verses remind us it does not matter how big the problems seem to be if we keep abiding in His presence then it will not affect us, God’s protection is greater than any attack by Satan. Finally, when God’s punishment is given we will not be touched by it, we will only know about it because of the greatness of our relationship with the Lord.