Under His Shadow, Part 2
I began a series last week using Psalm 91 to discuss God’s promises in this well-known Psalm. From a New Testament perspective, this Psalm describes the security believers can enjoy through faith in Christ.
This psalm does not promise that believers will have a carefree existence. The function of Psalm 91 is rather to appeal to people to have complete trust in God.1
I was reminded last week of a verse in Deuteronomy:
The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but those things which are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deut. 29:29 NKJV
When God reveals truths to us in His word, they are for us and our children forever! In Psalm 91, God gives revelation and promises that are ours to believe in and proclaim with confidence. All the protection promises of scripture can be found here, and we need to appropriate them.
Let’s examine some key verses in Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. NKJV
Psalm 91 is an example of an Old Testament way of teaching faith, for people to have a personal relationship with God!
That secret place is found in the Lord, in His nature and character. His righteousness, peace, and joy. His love and grace; the essence of His kingdom. Choose to abide!
You sit enthroned with El-Shaddai as His beloved child and royal ambassador! You are abiding in Him, His authority and might. More than intellectual, or mental assent. Abiding! What do you need Him to do for you in this season?
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” NKJV
You will say! Confess the truth of who God is and His promises!
Notice what happens on the inside as you confess and declare these truths! The more you say it out loud, the more confident you become.
During the World War II battle of Dunkirk in May 1940, famed war correspondent C.B. Morelock reported that sixty German aircraft strafed more than four hundred British soldiers on the beach. When the British Navy arrived to rescue these men, it was reported that they were loudly reciting Psalm 91! To the surprise of the sailors, not one of these soldiers was wounded, and none of them were killed!
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. NKJV
Do not fear! Rather, have faith in God’s word!
Fear occurs when we think we are responsible for bringing about this protection ourselves. Sometimes, we think, “If I can just believe hard enough!” Wrong!
Protection is already there; it has been provided through Jesus! Faith is simply the choice to receive what Jesus has already done!
Many Jewish scholars interpret verses 5–6 as a reference not only to pestilence and natural dangers but also to the realm of spiritual darkness that could oppose God’s servants. These spirits are likened to “arrows that fly in the daytime” or “a pestilence that walks” in the darkness. Those sheltered by God are protected from harm posed by both natural and supernatural sources.
Jewish teachers recommended Psalm 91 for repelling demons. Mystics believe it’s in the night season that most demonic assault occurs.
If we find ourselves afraid of the terror by night, it’s an indicator to get closer to Jesus! To trust Him more. His blood forgives, heals, and protects us. His shield around us.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; But it shall not come near you. 8 Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. NKJV
Do we have the courage to trust God’s word literally? Is it possible for God’s promises to be true, and yet we or others can miss out? Yes!
Consider an account in Luke’s gospel where Jesus confronts the unbelief of His Jewish audience in His hometown of Nazareth.
And many in Israel had leprosy in the time of the prophet Elisha, but the only one healed was Naaman, a Syrian. Luke 4:27 NLT
Jesus stated that unbelief caused many lepers in Israel to miss healing because they did not believe in God’s promises. God’s promises can be true, yet people, including Christians, can miss the benefits of those promises due to unbelief.
One of the most dramatic stories of personal protection and deliverance I’ve heard occurred with a young Army lieutenant who was shot in the chest during a battle in World War II.
He was presumed dead by the friend next to him, who then picked up the Lieutenant’s rifle along with his weapon and began firing at the enemy to repel their attack. He then approached his friend, only to discover that he was still alive, merely knocked unconscious by the bullet!
The bullet had pierced the Lieutenant’s shirt and struck his Bible, where it traversed and stopped at Psalm 91:7,
Even in a time of disaster, with thousands and thousands being killed, you will remain unscathed and unharmed. TPT
What an amazing miracle story of protection and deliverance from evil!
9 Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 No evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 For He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. NKJV
Notice the promise in verses 9 and 10? Once again, those who have placed their trust in Jesus can be assured of God’s protection from evil, including plagues.
But do we believe this? When we pray for God’s protection, do we declare this as truth?
I once ministered in a leper colony in India. Before the team and I arrived, we prayed on the bus for God’s protection and cover from disease. We reached out to the lepers there, hugged them, held their hands, and prayed with them, yet no one contracted leprosy!
The Devil quotes verses 11–12 when tempting Jesus in the wilderness (Luke 4:10–11).
Spiritual warfare in this life is unavoidable, whether one is Christian or not. But Jesus is the victor! He has triumphed over all evil spiritual powers.
But much of the warfare we experience is in the mind. Our minds are a battleground. This is why Paul exhorts us in 2 Cor. 10:3-5 to cast down everything that exalts itself against the knowledge (truth) of God:
3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ. NKJV
Learn to recognize patterns in your mind and strongholds.
There are two kingdoms at war, and we are caught between these warring spiritual factions. Consider the natural army of Syrians and the unseen angelic army surrounding Elisha and his servant:
16 So he answered, “Do not fear, for those who are with us are more than those who are with them.” 17 And Elisha prayed, and said, “Lord, I pray, open his eyes that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw. And behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha. 2 Kings 6:16-17 NKJV
Supernatural angelic activity is a reality for followers of Christ.
Heb. 1:14 NIV: Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?
Psalm 103:20 NKJV Bless the Lord, you His angels, who excel in strength, who do His word, heeding the voice of His word.
Remember how Peter was imprisoned, and an angel was sent to free him and guide him out? Today, we still hear stories of deliverance, just like those in the Bible.
C.S. Lewis and others wrote about the supernatural angelic intervention for the British Army during a World War I battle in Mons, Belgium, in August 1914. The British soldiers were pinned down and in danger of losing this important battle. Suddenly, they saw what appeared to be angels guiding and leading them, and they won the battle. German soldiers in the battle later reported seeing, “an army of ghosts with bows and arrows led by a large figure on a white horse who urged the British to go forward!”
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot. *Use your authority in Christ! NKJV
The Hebrew language includes the words for “lions,” “snakes,” and “dragons” (Heb. basilisk) as the three great symbols of satanic power. Luke records that Jesus used similar language.
19 Look, I have given you authority over all the power of the enemy, and you can walk among snakes and scorpions and crush them. Nothing will injure you. 20 But don’t rejoice because evil spirits obey you; rejoice because your names are registered in heaven. Luke 10:19-20 NLT
The Greek literally states snakes and scorpions, which symbolize demonic powers.
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.”
The last three verses of Psalm 91 beautifully promise God’s care and protection for us. They demonstrate God’s commitment to answering, accompanying, rescuing, honoring, and blessing those who love him with a long life.
Next week, in part 3, I want to look closer at the Promises of Psalm 91
