Under His Shadow, Part 4 

I’ve been studying Psalm 91 for the past three weeks. Today, I want to delve deeper into one specific promise in this Psalm, which is God’s perspective. 

Psalm 91 describes the security believers find through faith in Christ. The secret place is in the Lord, reflecting the Old Testament’s way of teaching personal faith. However, today, this personal faith and understanding of God’s promises are fulfilled in Christ. 

The Promises of Psalm 91 

14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. 15 He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.” Psalm 91:14-16 NKJV 

The last three verses present beautiful promises of care and protection from God. They demonstrate God’s commitment to answering, accompanying, rescuing, honoring, and blessing those who love Him with a long life.  

Let’s keep exploring the promises of God’s presence, peace, protection, perspective, provision, and power. I’ll recap the first three from last week and dive into the promise of God’s perspective this week. 

God’s Presence. His presence brings His peace, joy, and comfort. 

“I will answer your cry for help every time you pray, and you will find and feel my presence even in your time of pressure and trouble.” Psalm 91:15 TPT 

Psalm 91 is about abiding in the Lord, sheltering in Him, and being clothed in His presence.  

Think about a fish in an aquarium. The fish doesn’t have to “try” to be in the water; it simply is! We are in the Lord and the power of His might! 

Moreover, you and I are not alone! God promises to be with you always:  

5 Your way of life should be free from the love of money, and you should be content with what you have. After all, he has said, I will never leave you or abandon you.  Heb 13:5 CEB 

Don’t judge the promise of God’s presence by your perfection! Jesus is our perfection, righteousness, and holiness. He is with us always, even when we struggle! 

God’s Peace. You can feel secure always, even in unknown territory, because Jesus gave us His peace.  

He is the Prince of Peace, and his desire is to impart his peace, the establishment of His rule, and His government in our souls.  

“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” John 14:27 NKJV 

 When He promised peace, there was political oppression, religious oppression, disasters, and hardships. This was true then and remains true today.  

His peace, ruling in our hearts, is greater than the troubles that surround us. His birth and subsequent death secured our peace. The same peace that Jesus felt during the storms is available to you and me as we live in Him.  

God’s Protection. As you follow Jesus and take risks, God promises to keep you safe. 

Consider the protection promises of Psalm 91:9-11: 

9 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. (NLT) 

The psalmist expresses his confidence in God’s protection, which wards off not only imminent danger, expressed in terms of battle and deadly disease, but even the fear of it. Those who take refuge in God will remain immune to evil…1  

The disciples had to trust in God’s protection despite the storm that threatened them.  

“Take courage, it is I, don’t be afraid!” Mark 6:50 NIV  

As Jesus gets into the boat with them, immediately the sea calms.  

I love this quote by Oswald Chambers from his devotional “The Utmost for His Highest”: 

“Faith never knows where it is being led, but it loves and knows the One who is leading.”  

Time and again, I have found this to be true with Jesus! Keep your eyes on Him, love Him and trust Him as you follow Him! 

God’s Perspective. God gives an eternal view of life that keeps you steady. 

Psalm 91 assures us that we will experience the fullness of salvation as we faithfully trust in and follow God—both in the present and for eternity. 

Psalm 91:16, “I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” (NLT)  

This salvation is both now and yet to come. We are experiencing new life in Christ both individually and corporately as part of the body of Christ. This allows us to have His perspective on the present and the future with Him. 

Presently, we need to carry His heart, compassion, and desire to reach the world with His love and grace. To be His hands and feet in a world looking for the One, the only One who can satisfy the thirst of their souls—Jesus!  

Consider Matthew 9:35-38 and the compassion of Jesus for those who are scattered like sheep without a shepherd. His response? Pray for harvesters!  

So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.” Matt. 9:38 NLT 

This theme recurs in John 4:34-38: “the fields are already ripe for harvest.” The Lord desires us to adopt His perspective in reaching the least, the last, and the lost of our world, recognizing that many are ready to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth! 

Scripture declares there is a future resurrection for the follower of Christ: 

“51 Listen, I’m telling you a secret: All of us won’t die, but we will all be changed— 52 in an instant, in the blink of an eye, at the final trumpet. The trumpet will blast, and the dead will be raised with bodies that won’t decay, and we will be changed…58 As a result of all this, my loved brothers and sisters, you must stand firm, unshakable, excelling in the work of the Lord as always, because you know that your labor isn’t going to be for nothing in the Lord. 1 Cor. 15:51-52, 58 CEB 

Therefore, hold onto an unwavering, eternal perspective. You are united with Christ in His resurrection, life, and victory, and nothing can separate you from Him or His love!  

It’s easy to feel tired and weary in our walk with Christ and in ministering to others. Yet, we are called to maintain a firm, unshakable perspective as we work with Jesus to reach our world. 

I’ll continue next week looking at the promises of God’s provision and of His power! 

FootNote

1 Gordon D. Fee and Robert L. Hubbard Jr., eds., The Eerdmans Companion to the Bible (Grand Rapids, MI; Cambridge, U.K.: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company, 2011), 342.