Focal Passage: Psalm 91:1-6, 9-16
My God in whom I trust: For a person to really trust someone they must understand who that person is. That is why the psalmist (most likely Moses) states that our protection is provided by the Most High.
The word “Most High” denotes the One that is the very highest. He is above all other gods and is the One they must all go up to. God’s people are in the shadow of the Almighty. He is always “overshadowing” us with His presence.
When I visited the Holy Land on different occasions, I quickly began to understand that shade was a place of comfort and rest from the treacherous elements. That is why the Psalmist spoke of dwelling in the shadow of the Most High.
Johnson
The Psalmist also speaks of God as our refuge. A refuge was a place you could find safety from animals in the night. People would often sleep in a cave or a cleft in a cliff and would build a fire at the entrance to feel safe from the dangers of the night.
The writer also speaks of the Most High being a fortress. A fortress was a high place that was safe in any circumstance. It would often have high and fortified walls that no arrows could penetrate. It was the Psalmist’s description of drawing near to God, who is our ultimate provider and protector.
Our dwelling place: I often read of these descriptions of God being our dwelling place and it challenges me to think of when I have needed Him to be my dwelling place.
Have I put myself out there where God needed to protect me from plague or send an angel to protect me. Corrie ten Boom would have never needed God to be her Hiding Place if her family had played it safe and not chosen to be a refuge for the endangered.
When I think of the cruelty of the Nazis and the fear they struck in the lives of the Jews during the Holocaust, the picture of the lion and serpent is fitting. She never feared them because God was her refuge and dwelling place. She was often quoted as saying there was no hole too deep that God’s presence was not there.
The Psalmist promises that, “He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. Corrie would tell others, “Trust and forgiveness is the key that unlocks the door of resentment and the handcuffs of hatred.” Her belief that God was her refuge gave her the victory over the lions and the serpents in her life.
God’s deliverance: In verses 14-16 the Psalm moves from God being spoken of to God being the speaker. These verses take me to John 10:27, “My sheep hear My voice, I know them, and they follow Me.” As followers of Christ, we should know His voice and our minds should be stayed on Him. Verse 14 says, “I will satisfy him.”
That brings us to a good question to end on. Is the Lord enough? Does He satisfy us? Psalm 42:1-2a says, “As a deer longs for streams of water, so I long for You, God. I thirst for God, the living God.” Does God satisfy your thirst? B&R
