Psalms 91:1

The Bible says in Psalm 91:1, “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” That sounds like a good place to be: “the secret place.” How do we get into the secret place: prayer and trusting in the LORD. Why is it called the secret place? It is secret because most people do not know anything about it. Notice that it says that we must dwell in the secret place. We do not just pray and trust in Him once in a while, but the goal is to continually pray and trust in Him. Christians are told in First Thessalonians 5:17, “Pray without ceasing.” The image of being “under the shadow of the Almighty” means that the all powerful God is right there with you and looking out for you.

The Bible says in Psalm 91:2, “I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.” Once you accept Christ as Savior, it will not take long for you to learn this truth. God is “my refuge and my fortress.” That is why we trust in Him: because we can trust in Him. We know that is where our safety and security comes from.

The Bible says in Psalm 91:3, “Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.” It does not say that maybe God will deliver you. It says that “surely” he shall deliver thee. A fowler is a person who captures birds in a net or a snare. Because of the powers of darkness, there are many ways that a human being gets captured by sin and evil. But Jesus easily overcomes the powers of darkness. Jesus is a safe haven. He always casts out the demons. Nothing can harm you until God is done with you, and then you will go to heaven because of Jesus.

The Bible says in Psalm 91:4, “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” The Holy Spirit uses a protective mother hen as the image of God protecting His children. Jesus used the same imagery in Matthew 23:37, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!” A beautiful Christian song has been written with this theme. It starts off like this:

Under His wings I am safely abiding;
Though the night deepens and tempests are wild,
Still I can trust Him, I know He will keep me;
He has redeemed me, and I am His child.

Under His wings, under His wings,
Who from His love can sever?
Under His wings my soul shall abide,
Safely abide forever.

The Bible says in Psalm 91:5-6, “Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; [6] Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” There are many things that potentially a person could be afraid of in this life. These two verses put the dangers into four categories: “the terror by night,” “the arrow that flieth by day,” “the pestilence that walketh in darkness,” and “the destruction that wasteth at noonday.” Life is temporary and it can be dangerous, and it is going to end one way for everyone: death. Dangers can come night or day. They can come from disease, an evil person, an accident, a natural disaster, and many other things. You can live in constant fear of such things, or you can trust in the LORD. The latter is the best thing.

The Bible says in Psalm 91:7-8, “A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.
[8] Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.” This is one of the promises of the Bible for those who believe in Jesus: victory. The unbelievers might seem to have power at some times in this life. But God has all power. God determines who wins and who loses. And He has promised over and over again in the Bible that in the contest of life the believers shall win and come out on top. Verse eight speaks of “the reward of the wicked.” What is “the reward of the wicked?” It is not good. It will be their eternal judgment. And the believers will be there at that judgment, witnessing and watching as the LORD pronounces and delivers their final judgment. There will be no appeals. Justice will finally be served.

The Bible says in Psalm 91:9-13, “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.” These verses get specific about the kinds of things that those who trust in God will be delivered from: “evil,” “plague” (which speaks of diseases), accidents (even something as minor as tripping on a stone,) and wild animals such as lions, poisonous snakes, and other wild animals represented by the word translated “dragons.” Not only that but God’s angels are kept busy helping and protecting believers, as it says in verse eleven, “For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.”

The Bible says in Psalm 91:14, “Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” God is love, and God wants to be loved in return. Not many love God through Christ, but to those who do is a special promise given. God says about such a person, “I deliver him.” That means to be saved from sin, and the flesh, and the devil. It means to have a home reserved in heaven. Jesus said in John 14:2-3, “In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.[3] And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also.”

It is interesting that God said at the end of verse fourteen, “I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.” God is going to honor us because we know His name. We only know the name of Jesus and what it means because the Holy Spirit revealed it to us. We simply responded to His gracious invitation to come to Him and know Him. And then He honors us for that. What a good and kind and gracious God we serve.

The Bible says in Psalm 91:15-16, “He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.[16] With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.” The first part of verse fifteen is one of many times that the Bible promises us that God answers prayer. Prayer changes things. James wrote, “Ask and ye shall receive.” The first time that you call upon Jesus and receive His forgiveness, God answers that prayer. And then you start a life of prayer when you can call upon Him every day and for whatever circumstance you are in. Jesus will deliver us from the troubles of life. Jesus will lift us up and honor us. And He will control our lives. He will determine how long we live on this earth. And therefore, we have nothing to fear. He will do one other thing for us: He will show us his “salvation.” Do you understand how great is the salvation that has been given to you through the blood of Christ? Only God can reveal these wonderful things to you so that you appreciate them: forgiveness of sins, eternal life, the Word of God, and all the promises of God at your disposal, and so much more. Why do some people have a zeal to serve Jesus and some do not? It depends upon what the LORD has revealed to you about His great salvation. If something has been revealed to you about that salvation, then you are a privileged and blessed person on this earth.

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