The Lord says in Psalm 91:14-15: “Because he loves me, I will rescue him; I will protect him because he acknowledges my name. He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honour him.
Psalm 91 is a favorite amongst many Christians because God promises his protection in the face of adversity. It starts off in verse 1 and 2 with the promise of rest: “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust”.
It is a Psalm that brings us comfort, and assurance that God is our refuge. We can picture ourselves resting in the coolness of his shadow, and the there is powerful imagery in verse 7 where thousands of people are people at your side, while no danger comes upon you.
The imagery of verse 4 is beautiful. God promises to cover you and completely protect you with His pinions (the outer part of a bird’s wing including the flight feathers).
The Samoan concept of of finding rest in one’s shadow is beautifully applied to unions of marriage between families, where our in-laws are referred to as “Paolo”…O paolo tatou te malu ai.
What most Christians forget or perhaps choose to ignore, is that the promises of Psalm 91, are conditional. It is an IF-WHEN promise of God.
— It says that IF we dwell in the Lord, THEN we find rest.
— God promises to rescue us BECAUSE we love Him.
— God promises to protect us, BECAUSE we acknowledge His name.
— The promise is that, no harm will befall you and no disaster will come near your tent.. IF you make the Most High your dwelling place.
— God will command angels to lift you up in their hands, and protect you…IF you dwell in Him.
You see, the protection is there for us, if we go to Him today, and dwell in Him.
To dwell is to make that place your home base. To dwell is to continue to live there. To dwell is to stay close to God, to abide in Him, and to remain steadfast in Him.
Father, thank you for your protection over my life. Thank you for for rescuing me from the storms of life, as I continue to dwell in you, and acknowledge your sovereignty. Thank you that nothing can touch my life apart from your loving care. Amen.
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