Context No. 2515 of 4322 · Psalms

Psalms 91:1-16: in context

1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.” 3For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. 4He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart. 5You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, 6nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday. 7A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. 8You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. 9Because you have made the LORD your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, 10no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. 11For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. 12They will bear you up in their hands, so that you won’t dash your foot against a stone. 13You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot. 14“Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known my name. 15He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him. 16I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation.”

This psalm promises deep safety to the one who lives close to God: whoever dwells in the shelter of God rests under his wings, and finds him a refuge and fortress. It speaks of protection from terror by night and arrow by day, of angels given charge to guard, of treading on lion and serpent. And God himself answers at the end: because he has set his love on me, I will deliver him; I will be with him in trouble.

The safety here is anchored in a word, dwells. The promise is to the one who makes God his dwelling place, not who visits him occasionally. And notice what God actually pledges: not a life exempt from trouble, but his presence in it. I will be with him in trouble. This psalm was once quoted to Jesus by the tempter, twisted into a dare to test God, and Jesus refused it. Read rightly, it does not promise a charmed life free of all harm; it promises that the one who abides in God is held, even when a thousand fall nearby, kept by a presence that does not leave in the trouble.

Is God my dwelling place, where I actually live, and do I trust his promise to be with me in trouble rather than to spare me all of it?

Sources

Psalm 91:1: He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Psalm 91:15: He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him.
Psalm 91:4: He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.