God's Protection

Psalm 91 is so full of promises and an intimate relationship with the Lord. It is a Psalm that the Lord has lead me to pray over my family and to memorize through meditation.  May the Lord bless you too.

        verses 1-4
       "He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
        Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
        I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress;
        My God, in Him I will trust.
        Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
        And from the perilous pestilence.
        He shall cover you with His feathers,
        And under His wings you shall take refuge.
        His truth shall be your shield and buckler."

It am very encouraged by making this Psalm personal, as I am memorizing it.  For instance, If I dwell in the secret place of the Most High , I shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of my Lord, "You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in You I will trust.."

One thing I am learning is that dwelling in the shelter or secret place of Elyon, the Most High God, does not just happen.   It is a choice by FAITH to dwell there.  I must decide to make Elyon my dwelling place, to forsake the world and ONLY to Him be true. Secrets are not generally shared with strangers.  Intimacy of relationship is involved. It involves my heart to willfully  surrender to His control and come under His protection. I love to confess "There is no one, higher or greater than YOU , my LORD, in all the earth.  I choose YOU, as my place of shelter and safety. I will trust in YOU."  In a way, it is like the marriage vow, I took before God when I was married, 'To forsake all others and only unto my husband be true.'

"I shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."  Have you ever tried to walk in another person's shadow? It is very hard to do.  You are in and out all the time. When I thought about this picture, I felt the Lord showed me a GREAT BIG bird with a huge wing expansion hovering over me making its protecting shadow to shield me from evil.  I felt safe and secure under His wings.

"Surely He will deliver me from the snare of the fowler" The fowler is the devil.  How often he tries to  deceive us. The Lord   delivers us from his lies and schemes. He will talk to you as long as we will listen. At times, the voice of the enemy is very overwhelming, but when you cry out to Him, like the claws of an eagle catching its prey, He delivers you from the danger.

"You shall cover me with Your feathers and under Your wings I shall take refuge." Again this is another picture. This time it is a picture of a mother bird protecting her little fledgling from unknown danger.   God's protection is a powerful force for us in this fallen world.  

"His truth is like a shield and buckler". A shield and buckler are two pieces of armament worn by Roman soldiers to protect themselves.  In battle, the soldiers would gather tightly together and hide behind their shields to fend off arrows raining down upon them. and then  with a smaller shield, the buckler, be ready to fight man to man.  As a believer, we can hide behind  the shield of God's truth.  By faith, we are protected from the wiles of the enemy. When we are called to take a stand against our foe, God's truth is our buckler.. Every lie of Satan can be put down by the Word of truth. If the devil tries to condemn you, you can turn to Romans 8:1 and confess, "there is NO condemnation in Christ Jesus.  You lose devil.  Jesus is Lord and that settles it." "The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the  righteous run into it and are" SAFE. Proverb 18:10.

In 2 Chronicles 20:17, Jehoshaphat, king of Judah, was in an impossible situation fighting against his enemy. He cried out to the Lord and the Lord answered Him, "You will not need to fight in this battle.  Stand firm, hold your position and see the salvation of the LORD on your behalf."  I am grateful that God's character will never change.  He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. He is our defender, our protector.

As children of God and heirs to His Kingdom, we are Abraham's spiritual seed and children by adoption into the promises of God. We can stand by FAITH on these same words given to King Jehoshaphat, as he stood and watched the Lord confuse the enemy.  This same victory is ours today.  I John 5:4,5, "And this is the victory that HAS overcome the world" --- OUR FAITH. Who is it that overcomes the world except the one who believes that Jesus is the son of God? He has won very battle for us.