He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:1-4
This uncertain, unfamiliar, and unprecedented time we are living in may cause anxiety, fear, and even panic to overwhelm us. The Psalms continue to talk me off of the ledge of despair with words that comfort me, encourage me, and draw me closer to my Lord. During these days of sheltering in place and social distancing I have chosen to direct my time of prayer and meditation toward Psalm 91. Please stop reading my post and take a moment to read through this psalm. As you read take note of all the ways the Most High God will act on your behalf and how you are to respond to Him.
As I made my list of what God will do and what I am to do, I noticed His list is much longer than mine. The psalmist is confident and secure in who God is and what He is capable of doing. The Almighty Sovereign God will deliver the believer from various attacks of pestilence and plague, be a refuge, command angels to guard him in all his ways, rescue, protect, and answer him in uncertain and dangerous times. He goes above and beyond by honoring and satisfying him with a long – eternal life! We can be secure in knowing that as believers in Christ Jesus, we too are guaranteed God’s faithfulness forever. Just to be clear, God’s deliverance is not a vaccine against physical harm or even physical death, but it is a promise to deliver us spiritually and emotionally from anxiety, fear and panic and assure us even death will not separate us from His presence or His love. (see Romans 8:37-39)
What is required of us in this exchange with the Divine? We must choose to dwell, rest, love and acknowledge God, who is faithfully trust – worthy. To acknowledge God doesn’t simply mean to recognize him with a finger toward heaven or by making the symbol of the cross on your chest. There is deeper meaning hidden within this psalm – it means “to be familiar with” through having “a personal relationship with God.” Love is the natural overflow of knowing God personally and it is that love which draws us to live in connection with Him.
Looking closer at Psalm 91, we read:
“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.” (vs 9,10)
Refuge in Hebrew means a “shelter from danger” and come near means “spatial proximity” or “approach.” Today, in this present time, two terms we have heard over and over are “Shelter in Place” and “Social Distancing.” There really are no new terms! Here in Scripture we find refuge in God is our shelter in place where He will distance us from any harm that would try to approach us. The President and the media keep saying we are in a war with an invisible enemy. Believers shouldn’t be surprised to hear of this invisible battle, for it has been raging from the beginning of time. Our roaring invisible enemy is prowling around trying to steal our joy, kill our faith and destroy our hope, but do not fear, God our Almighty Most High is our invisible fortress, all-powerful shield, ever-present shelter, and eternally victorious Warrior! He has overcome and will continue to overcome any invisible enemy of not only our bodies but also of our very souls. The Lord will satisfy us with long life and show us His salvation.
Let us pray.
Lord, we acknowledge you are the Most High, Almighty God. You are our shelter and refuge during this unstable and uncertain time. We trust You to command your angels to guard us in all our ways and to dwell with us in the safe place of your peaceful presence. We love you Lord and thank you for delivering us, honoring us and satisfying us with your secure salvation. Amen
A challenge as you shelter in place: Memorize Psalm 91 as you pray through it every day for the next 91 days and along the way write down all the ways God has been faithful to you.
Join me on Facebook Live at 6:30pm tonight (3/24) and Thursday night (3/26) right before nightfall to help you direct your thoughts to God’s Truth, washing over you with His Word.
Sheltering in His place,
Nancy Taylor
