9 Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling. 11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. 12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. 13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Psalm 91:9-13
The LORD my Refuge – my shelter. This Psalm, for the one who trusts in the LORD, depicts Him as your shelter, your fortress. For this to be true, you must dwell there – the Most High is your habitation. Its not a coming in and a going out whenever it suits you. You remain in the shelter because the enemy is outside the gates of the shelter and the enemy is strong.
You come into the shelter of the LORD by trusting Him. His truth is your shield and is protective against the deceptions of the evil one which are powerful. Your only defense against spiritually energized deception is the truth of God – His Word.
Interesting that the evil one twisted the words of this very Psalm in an attempt to deceive Jesus during His time in the desert before He started His ministry. In each temptation during that time, Jesus used the truth of God’s Word to refute the deception. Then the evil one left Him.
Deception is meant to entice you to come outside the fortress – to stop trusting God. You must know the truth so well that you can spot the deception immediately.
God’s promises for those who live under His shadow, in the fortress, under His shelter are listed here: no evil or plague will come near your dwelling. Why? Because your dwelling place, your shelter, is the LORD. With all that is happening in the world today this is a very relevant promise. Do you believe it? Many Christians today keep God’s Word in the theoretical realm. Its academic to them. They say they believe and yet the Word is caveated to the point of irrelevancy. They accept it as long as it does not interrupt what is in the Sunday bulletin. Its simple: do you believe it or not? Trusting Him means trusting Him – just take it at face value. Don’t dismiss His word.
This Psalm speaks to you dwelling with God. This means trusting Him. Loving Him with all that you are. Under His shadow, living in the secret place of the Most High. If you are there, then all of these promises are true in Christ.
You have spiritual help in all thy ways – which really means the road you are traveling. What road? The scriptures often speak of a walk of faith down a path, or a road. Psalm 23 says the path of righteousness.
Angels are commanded to help you. You do not command them. The LORD does. You do not speak to them. Remember, your trust is in the Lord and only Him. You speak to Him in prayer. You believe Him alone. He alone is your shelter, your refuge.
When you are trusting completely in the LORD, you are protected.
