I hope you've had a good start to another week. Thank you for taking the time to follow along as we continue our devotional adventure, called "Shelter Me in Place" with part 5. I pray these are an encouragement and a blessing to you. Today, I want to share with you from the book of Psalms.
I’ve invited another writer to bring you today’s words of encouragement. His human name is… unknown. Although, we who know this writer, know his words come from the Almighty. Many of us have likely read his material before.
He has some profound promises for you and me, so I hope we’ll give him sixteen sentences worth of our attention.
It might be good for you to read his words out loud. They will crystallize your courage and fuel your faith!
Scripture for today
My Refuge and my fortress He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.” - Psalm 91
Isn’t that good?
Let me share with you two tidbits that might make this psalm sink in a little deeper.
The first is from v. 4.
“He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge...”
That sounds like a bird, doesn’t it? The psalmist may be comparing God’s care to that of a mother bird or hen.
However, other Hebrew scholars think he was referring to the wings of the Seraphim resting on the Mercy Seat. (Google a picture of it, it’s amazing.)
The Mercy Seat was the centerpiece of the Temple’s Holy of Holies.
God sat on the seat, surrounded by His angels.
You and I can only enter that place because of the access that is granted by the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.
God’s mercy and His angels are always available to you!
The second is from v. 13.
“You will tread on the lion and the adder…”
Hebrew literature very often uses these two animals as symbols of Satan’s power.
In which case, we’re reading about an even bigger God. A God who can rescue us not only from earthly physical dangers, but the personal dangers of our own sin (v. 4) and the spiritual dangers of our great enemy, the Devil (v. 13).
The God of Psalm 91 is far more powerful than the unseen microbes of the COVID-19 virus, our continued days of isolation, and the economic uncertainty that we may face in the future. We need to believe and trust in Him, and live like we do today!
Prayer for today
Father, I come to Your Mercy Seat this day, seeking Your presence, power, hope and grace.
I place myself under Your protection and Your care.
You are the Almighty One, my refuge, and my fortress.
I choose to dwell in Your shadow today.
In Jesus’ name, amen