Dear Precious Friends,
On this beautiful new day, this gift from God, I felt sure this image and reminder is most appropriate for the times we are in. “He will cover you with his feathers; you will take refuge under his wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.” Psalms 91:4 is a powerful verse and I have always loved the unique picture this verse calls to mind. I think of the protection offered underneath those wings. Protective and fierce, yet gentle and attentive; this is exactly the refuge we desire.
The very nature of the word refuge suggests being sheltered from something and Psalm 91 reminds us exactly what that is.
From the trap. Fatal and epidemic disease. Terrors of the night. Arrows that fly by day. Destruction. Plagues that stalk and ravage, in the night and throughout the day. The word pictures here are equally as vivid as the feathered nest we were just wrapped in. It is easy for us to stop at verse four and look away from this part. But the hope we need is as much here as it is in the shelter.
This is what He is protecting us from. This is what He is protecting us through. This is what He is protecting us in the midst of. Verse 15 tells us he will be with us in trouble. He will deliver us.
When trouble comes we often ask God why. Why do violent crimes happen to innocent people? Why do faithful people struggle with finances, marriages, children, hope. Tucked under His wing, we like to think the dangers, all that we fear, will cease around us. But His word never promises that. He promises us He will never leave us or forsake us... He promises safety, Himself, in the midst of it all.
This psalm opens with a firm and powerful declaration. “The one who lives under the protection of the Most High, dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust…” (Psalm 91:1-2)
In trouble or at peace, the psalmist is making a bold and stubborn declaration. When we make the Lord our dwelling place Hid shelter through horrifying trouble is our hope. He is our hope.
May we not confuse the two. Trouble will come, but so will refuge for those who have set their hearts on Jesus. He will give His angels charge over thee and answer when we call. We were never promised a life without hardship, a life without very real terrors and danger, but we are promised His presence with us, the security of His refuge around us.
We need not fear when trouble comes, or despair the challenges around us when we set our hearts firmly on the hope of His shelter, His deliverance, through it all.
I pray today as we embrace the gift of this day we remember this great truth.
AMEN!
Source: Holy Spirit, God's Word, Commentaries, Crosswalk.
