6/17/13 “Abiding Under the Shadow of the Almighty”
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.’ Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (Psalm 91:1-4)
Ulysses S. Grant once said, “The friend in my adversity I shall always cherish most. I can better trust those who helped to relieve the gloom of my dark hours than those who are so ready to enjoy with me the sunshine of my prosperity”. Do you struggle with trusting others? Are you able to trust fully in God’s sovereignty and His ability to watch over you or do you find yourself trying to control things? As God sees you through adverse times, do remember and allow your trust in Him to grow?
In Psalm 91, the writer speaks about trusting fully in God’s power over our lives and His ability to deliver us from whatever trials we may face. As the opening verses above indicate, the psalmist speaks about God as his refuge and fortress. He “abides” under the God’s shadow as God watches over him. The author pictures himself as a baby bird abiding under the wings of its mother for protection (Psalm 91:1-4). Because we can have such trust in God, we should be afraid of nothing which may come our way: “You shall not be afraid of 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. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you” (Psalm 91:5-7). No enemy is too great, no obstacle if too large, and no challenge is too difficult that cannot be overcome by God’s sovereign power as He watches over those who trust in Him!
Furthermore, the author notes that not only does God watch over those who place such trust in Him, but He gives charge to His angels to keep us in their care: “Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone” (Psalm 91:9-12). Here we learn a little of what the angels of God do as the minister to us while we follow God (Hebrews 1:13-14). What a comforting picture of God’s protecting care of us as we trust in Him!
In addition, we learn from this psalm how God feels about us when we place such complete trust in Him: “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation” (Psalm 91:14-16). God has a special place in His Heart for those who complete trust His sovereignty and His ability to preserve them!
I don’t know about you, but I am tired of trying to live trusting in my ability to control things. Over the course of my life I have learned of how inept I am in being able to determine the outcome of things. I want to enjoy the peace and serenity that the writer of Psalm 91 enjoyed. However, I recognize as I read this psalm I can only have this calmness of soul when I trust fully in God. Today, I will strive to trust in God and “abide under the shadow of the Almighty”!
Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct your paths” (Proverbs 3:5-6).