Psalm 91: Resting in the Shadow of the Almighty

Maybe you woke up afraid of what today could bring, for yourself and for the people you love. This morning we'll pray with Psalm ninety-one, and ask to rest in the shadow of the Almighty without pretending that nothing can go wrong. Let's bring this to God together.

In Psalm ninety-one, verses one and two, the psalmist says this.

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Psalm 91:1-2

Many of us know this kind of fear. Maybe the car keys are gone from the hook, and your son is driving himself to work for the first time. Maybe your husband's flight leaves at six. Maybe your mother lives alone, and she hasn't picked up yet. The mind runs ahead and pictures the worst, and it's hard to make it stop. Fear like that usually grows out of love, and God knows that.

Psalm ninety-one opens with an invitation. It describes someone who dwells in the shelter of the Most High. To dwell is to live somewhere, to come back to the same place day after day. So the psalm asks us to make God our home, and to call Him our refuge. Then it gives us a picture.

He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart.

Psalm 91:4

A bird sheltering what's under its wings. That's how near the psalm says God is to those who take refuge in Him.

Later in the psalm come lines that sound like a promise that nothing bad will ever happen to you. Yet faithful people get sick, and faithful people die. The Bible never hides that. The devil once quoted this psalm. In Matthew's account, he stands Jesus on the highest point of the temple and says, throw Yourself down, because it's written that God's angels will lift You up. Jesus answers with another verse.

It is also written: “Do not put the Lord your God to the test.”

Matthew 4:7

Jesus wouldn't use a promise to make His Father prove Himself. So we can't treat this psalm as a charm that guarantees a safe day. Listen to what God says near the end of it.

When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him.

Psalm 91:15

Notice the word trouble. The psalm expects it. God promises to answer, and He promises to be with His people in the middle of it. Deliverance is His to give, and the psalm closes by pointing to His salvation.

Paul wrote to believers who knew what could happen to them. Just before this, he lists trouble, danger and the sword.

For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor principalities, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Romans 8:38-39

Death is on that list, and nothing on it can cut us off from God's love in Christ. Jesus died and was raised, and the Father welcomes you for His sake. That's why you can rest this morning, even if you can't feel calm yet. None of it depends on how well you pray.

Let's pray. You can pray these words with me, out loud or in your heart.

Father, I come to You this morning through Jesus, and I come afraid. Holy Spirit, help me pray, because I don't have the words for all of it.

You're the Most High. You're the Almighty. Nothing is bigger than You, and nothing that happens today will catch You by surprise. Your faithfulness doesn't wear out the way mine does. You gave Your Son for me. He died, and You raised Him, and I'm Yours because of Him. So I say it again, as the psalmist did. “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

This morning I'm afraid. I've been picturing what could go wrong today, for me and for the people I love, and the pictures are clear. I've been standing guard over all of them, as if my worrying could keep anyone safe. It can't, and You know that. Teach me to give You what only You can hold. I won't pretend, either. Hard things do happen. Good people get sick, and some of them die, and You've never told me otherwise. You've told me You'd be with me.

So be my refuge today. Your word says “under His wings you will find refuge”, and I'm running there now. Be with me in whatever comes, the ordinary hours and the hard ones. Keep the people I love. Be with each of them today, wherever they're headed and wherever they're staying put. Bring us home tonight, if You will. And if hard things come near any of us, be there in the middle of it. Give me a peace that doesn't depend on knowing how the day will end. Help me do what's in front of me without gripping so tight.

You've said, “When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble.” I'm calling out now, Father. Answer me, and be with me. I put the people I love into Your hands, and my own life with them. I can't see what's coming, and I don't need to. You've already shown me in Jesus how far Your love goes. Your word says that death itself can't cut me off from You. “Neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” That's where I'm resting this morning. I'm resting on Your love in Christ, and I'm leaving the day itself with You.

Father, I pray for others this morning. For anyone waiting for someone to come home safely. For people living with real danger today, in a house that isn't safe or a place that's at war. For those who've already lost someone and are afraid of losing another. For anyone who'll hear hard news today. Be near them, Father. And be near everyone praying along with me right now, wherever they happen to be.

Now I'm getting up into this day. When the worst picture comes back, and it will, turn my eyes to You. If I can say something kind to someone I love before they leave the house, give me the time to say it. Let me work without panic, and let me rest in the shadow of the Almighty when the hours get hard. Whatever happens before tonight, I'm Yours, and You're with me. Thank You, Father. In Jesus' name, amen.

Take a moment of quiet now, and bring Him whatever's in front of you today.

Hear this blessing from Peter's first letter, written to believers going through trials.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! By His great mercy He has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that is imperishable, undefiled, and unfading, reserved in heaven for you, who through faith are shielded by God’s power for the salvation that is ready to be revealed in the last time.

1 Peter 1:3-5