God Is Our Refuge

06/22/2010

Good Morning!!!

Living by fear or living by faith?

Psalm 91 (New Living Translation)
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.
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.”

Sometimes the cares of this world will overwhelm even the most faithful. That’s when we yank out this Psalm to remember WHO really has us in His palm. I love all the verses, but grab hold of verses 2 through 4: 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. In this crazy world we live in, God provides a place for us to flee to when we are threatened. It is not a physical place but a psychological realm where our minds can be restored and survive.

Does any portion of this Psalm seem familiar? When Jesus was in the Wilderness (which is a place – not just away from the crowd), Satan approached Him on three different occasions. On one occasion, Satan twisted the wording of this Psalm to try to induce Jesus to commit suicide – and thus blunt God’s ultimate plan for Christ’s sacrifice. Check out Matthew 4 and compare it to verses 11 and 12 of this Psalm.

How could we lead defeated lives when we have these promises staring us in the face? God is our refuge; our place of safety. Wow!!! Those things that seem to be so daunting are made small in the presence of God Almighty. So rejoice in this new day – YOUR God will rescue you and will protect you and be with you in trouble. Hallelujah! And Amen.

Agape’

Mr. Jim