Today's Scripture
Never an Annoyance Psalm 91:1-16
1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.
RJ's Devotion
What does the passage say?
V. 1-4 Trust in the Lord, who is your shelter and refuge
V. 5-8 Do not fear of being harmed. When God is with you, there is nothing possible to harm you.
V. 9-13 Anyone who proclaims God, as their refuge, will experience God’s work.
V. 14-16 Those who rely on God will see God work.
What does this passage say to me/us?
Does God really protect us from all evil?
No and Yes.
However, we first have to understand the meaning of protection. Protection doesn’t mean any harm are all outcasted in our lives. We will still encounter evil, but God gives us the power to withstand, overcome, and even denounce it. That is not possible without the protection from God.
Evil is too powerful for us to stand against, but under God’s protection, we are victorious.
Now, I believe God protects us, but at the same time, we see how we need to rely on God for that protection. Even the Psalmist says, “you have made the Lord your refuge” (v. 9 NRSV). Meaning that we chose to trust in God. The ones who love God (v. 14), the ones who call on God (v. 15) have one thing in common. They deliberately rely on God, which brings full trust.
Do we really trust in God with all our heart and understanding. When the word says not to lean on our own understanding, don’t we, too often, lean on our understanding?
Doesn’t that lead us not to see God’s working hand, in our life, because we do not trust in God, fully?
This might be a time, where we evermore need to trust in God only.
Prayer
Lord, help us to trust in you, and you only.
In Christ, we pray, AMEN
Click to subscribe to our Daily Devotion.
You will receive a devotion in your inbox every morning.