On Saturday, April 13, Iran attacked Israel. Many are saying it was a miracle from God that 99% of the missiles were intercepted and only one child was hurt from falling shrapnel. This shows that we can trust God to protect Israel.
Israel has been at war since Hamas savagely invaded and murdered innocent men, women, children, and babies and kidnapped over 240 people on Oct. 7, 2023. I’ve been praying for them daily and following several people who live in Israel to get the latest news. Monday, one of the folks I follow on Telegram posted this very psalm as a prayer. As it turned out, that night, at my church’s praise and worship night, the worship leader read this same psalm.
Was it a coincidence that it also happened to be this week’s psalm in my Praying the Psalms series? I think not.
This psalm is also attributed to Moses, though it doesn’t say so directly. Let’s dig in…
Psalm 91
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
Psalm 91 NLT
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”
Trust God
This passage in Deuteronomy sums up Psalm 91…
The eternal God is your refuge,
Deuteronomy 33:27 NLT
and his everlasting arms are under you.
He drives out the enemy before you;
he cries out, ‘Destroy them!’
Pastor Sandy Adams unpacks this psalm…
Fellowship with God is a secret place. It can’t be seen by the material world. It’s an invisible refuge. We talk about God’s love, and peace, and glory, and power — and people look at us as if we were describing little green space men. I love Colossians 3:3, “Your life is hidden with Christ in God.” There is a secret place… under the shadow of the Almighty.
Sandy Adams
As Jesus entered Jerusalem for the last time, He stopped and wept over the Holy City…
37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones God’s messengers! How often I have wanted to gather your children together as a hen protects her chicks beneath her wings, but you wouldn’t let me. 38 And now, look, your house is abandoned and desolate. 39 For I tell you this, you will never see me again until you say, ‘Blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord!’”
Matthew 23:37-39 NLT
African inspectors were going through the debris after a terrible forest fire. They found a mother bird sitting on her nest. Her body was scorched and charred. The inspector heard a noise and kicked over her corpse… To his surprise he found baby chicks… Despite the heat and the flames the mother had stayed faithful to her brood. She died saving them. This is what Jesus has done. Under His wings we find refuge.
The psalmist describes God’s protection — but this isn’t God’s permission to invite danger. Snake handlers in backwoods Kentucky quote this verse to justify their dance with death. But their flirtation isn’t faith – it is foolishness. In the normal course of life we face unavoidable danger — God promises us protection, but He doesn’t guarantee He’ll save us from our stupidity.
Mark 16:18 promises God’s protection those who travel to exotic places to preach the Gospel. Jesus says His disciples, “will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them…”
This happened when Paul was shipwrecked on the Maltese Island. He was collecting firewood when a poisonous viper bit him. He shook it off in the fire, and went on about his business. The people were astonished. The miracle provided Paul a platform to preach the Gospel.
Psalm 91 is a song of protection for believers in trouble!
Sandy Adams
Pray this psalm when you need to feel God’s protection.
Jesus told us to Trust God — Him…
33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Matthew 16:33 NLT
Trials, troubles, and tribulation may come in many different forms, from earthquakes to storms, from terrorist attacks to all-out war. You can’t deny that there is an increase of evil in this world. We are living in the Last Days and things are going to get way worse!
Furthermore, you will make mistakes! Some very costly ones. Therefore, you must trust God.
You can’t put your trust in any human or manmade entity, like a church, religion, government or even yourself! Humans are falible. God is not.
Jesus said…
Heaven and earth will disappear, but my words will never disappear.
Matthew 24:35 NLT
Putting 100% of your trust in God isn’t easy. Eveything around you tells you not to. It helps if you have a personal relationship with your Lord and Savior. If you don’t…
What are you waiting for?