
Psalm 91: 1-4
“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.’
Surely He will save you from the fowler’s snare,
and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His feathers,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.”
These verses are some of my favorites. The whole Psalm is filled with strength giving words. One thing to remember about the Psalms, is that they were actually songs, and had music with them. I would love to hear the music of the Psalms, that once played!
Clearly the Psalmist is encouraging us to have the Almighty, the Creator, as our shelter. It is a choice, and has always been a choice. When we do choose to trust, He helps and strengthens us. I love the poetry of being covered with His feathers! By the way, a fowler is one who catches birds, and the connotation about the fowler is very negative, so the Psalmist can illustrate the Creator protecting us.
So what about people that have no faith? Is God only concerned about people that believe in Him? No of course not. Although these verses are meant to strengthen and encourage, those that believe in Him, He cares about each one of us!
Think of it this way: Every time I wake up, that is God blessing me, and protecting me. Whenever I cross a street, or drive my car, and don’t get killed, that is God blessing me and protecting me. These illustrations do not depend on my faith. We all live every day. So what about when bad things do happen?
We’ve all seen innocent people suffer. There are times when it just does not make sense. But I want to trust in Him even during the terrible times, even when I do not understand. That’s where faith comes in. I may not ever understand, but these verses are meant to encourage us that there is an All Powerful, the One Who is Almighty, and that it is good to be in His care. When we are in His shelter, we can find rest. I know this is true, from personal experiences in my own life.
Note: The best book I have seen about suffering, is by C.S. Lewis, called the “Problem of Pain”.
Commentary and Image © Copyright 2015, nicodemasplusthree
Bible quote from the New International Version
Peace and blessings to everyone.
“If you love nature, you will love people.”