Under His Shadow, Part 6
Today, I want to conclude the Psalm 91 study by examining the promise of God’s power.
As I’ve shared in this series, Psalm 91 illustrates the security believers find through their faith in Christ. The secret place is found in the Lord and reflects the Old Testament’s approach to teaching personal faith. 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 His commitment to answering, providing, rescuing, honoring, and blessing those who love Him with a long life.
The Psalm promises God’s presence, peace, protection, perspective, provision, and power. I will summarize the first four from the past two weeks and explore the promise of provision 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. As I’ve shared, the Holy Spirit indwells the believer’s life. We are in Him and share His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4 NLT).
Sometimes we think, “If I can just believe hard enough!” But that’s not accurate! God’s presence and protection are already with us; they have been given through Jesus! Faith is simply the choice to embrace what Jesus has already achieved!
Further, 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. 6 This is why we can confidently say, The Lord is my helper, and I won’t be afraid. What can people do to me?” Heb 13:5-6 CEB
God’s Peace. You can always feel secure, even in unknown territory.
Jesus is the Prince of Peace, and His desire is to impart his peace, the establishment of His rule, and His government in our souls. His peace, ruling in our hearts, is greater than the trouble that surrounds us. His birth and subsequent death secured our peace.
“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 is still true today. But the Prince of Peace promises to give us His peace as we follow Him.
The same peace that Jesus experienced during the storms is available to you and me as we live in him. The peace in Jesus was greater than the storms.
God’s Protection. As you follow Jesus, God promises to keep you safe.
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. Psalm 91:9-11 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
God’s Perspective. God gives an eternal view of life that keeps you steady.
Psalm 91 promises us that we will experience the fullness of salvation as we faithfully trust in and follow God—both now and through eternity.
“I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” Psalm 91:16 NLT
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
Being confident in our salvation through faith in Christ assures us that as we depart this world, we are with Him! There is a hopeful future of resurrection and eternal life.
Maintain 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!
God’s Provision. As God guides, He provides!
“When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them.” Psalm 91:15 NLT
Are you confident that when you call upon the Lord, He will respond? To receive the provisions you need, you must know the Lord intimately and be fully convinced of His promises to provide in His Word.
God is our provider! Above all, He has given us His Son, Jesus, the Lamb who was slain before the foundation of the world for our sins! God has provided a way for us to escape the penalty of those sins. That’s wonderful news, securing us in His love, peace, protection, and provision!
Consider the Lord’s Prayer (or prayer model):
2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 3 Give us day by day our daily bread. 4 And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Luke 11:2-4 NKJV
Notice how we begin our prayers with reverence and worship of God. Then, Jesus instructs us to ask for our daily bread or our daily needs. Understand that we don’t live by bread alone or material things (see Deut. 8:3); rather, we live primarily by the truth of God’s Word. That is our starting point!
However, Jesus tells us to pray, “Give us day by day our daily bread.” Just as God provided manna in the wilderness each day for the children of Israel, Jehovah-Jireh promises to provide for us daily as well! He encourages us to ask, believe, persist, and expect!
God promises to meet all your needs. As we seek Him first, along with His kingdom and righteousness, we can confidently trust that God will care for and provide for us.
31 “So don’t worry about these things, saying, ‘What will we eat? What will we drink? What will we wear?’ 32 These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows all your needs. 33 Seek the Kingdom of God above all else, and live righteously, and he will give you everything you need. Matt. 6:31-33 NLT
Notice in these verses that God already knows what we need. Also, observe that those who don’t believe in Jesus often feel overwhelmed with worry about their daily needs. Jesus is stating that this should not be the case for those who follow Him. Instead, we are to seek Him first, follow Him wholeheartedly, and trust God to provide for our daily needs.
Paul declares this truth about God’s provision for His people:
“And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” Phil. 4:19 NKJV
I encourage you to memorize the above passages and believe that God will provide for you! He may not provide how or when you expect, but He will!
In 45 years of walking with God, I can attest to this truth time and again—God will provide what you need! God faithfully provides food, resources, and finances when we need them.
God’s Power. To deliver you and help you to achieve your goals and dreams.
God promises to protect you and even surround you with His presence, and angels who will minister to and deliver you as you remain in Him.
1 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.” Psalm 91:1-2 NKJV
God’s omnipotence is undeniable. We must trust God Almighty or El-Shaddai and His power to protect, deliver, and provide.
Shaddai (from the Hebrew šadday) is derived from a Hebrew root word that carries many expressive meanings. Shaddai, or El-Shaddai, is the eighth name that God has attributed to Himself.
Thus, Shaddai or El-Shaddai can mean “God Almighty,” “God of the Mountain,” “The God Who is Enough,” “The One Who is Self-Sufficient,” “God the Destroyer of Enemies,” and “The All-Powerful.” Shaddai represents God as our source of all blessings, power, and deliverance.
He is the God of utter ruin and devastation (toward our spiritual enemies), who can do for us what we cannot do for ourselves!
Verse two says, “I will say of the Lord…” In other words, we MUST confess the truth of who God is and what His promises state!
Something happens on the inside of us as we “say” out loud the truths of who God is and what He has promised! The more you say it out loud, the more confident you become.
One of the most dramatic examples of the power of confession related to Psalm 91 occurred during World War II. During the Battle of Dunkirk in May 1940, renowned war correspondent C.B. Morelock reported that sixty German aircraft strafed over 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 sailors’ surprise, not one of these soldiers was wounded, and none of them were killed!
Clothed with God’s Power
After His resurrection and before His ascension, Jesus told His disciples to wait in Jerusalem until they were “clothed” with power from on high:
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8 NIV
The Holy Spirit is in and with those who believe in Jesus! He is our comforter, helper and friend (see John 14). But He is also God’s power agent on earth with us now!
Paul would write to the Ephesians:
Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us. Eph. 3:20 NIV
Notice this power is “immeasurably” more?! It’s “way more” than we can ever imagine! And where is this power at work? In us, and through us!
As we learn to wait on the Lord (Isa. 40:31), to remain in Him, and to abide in His shadow (presence), God’s power works with and through those who believe. God’s power is found in His presence!
God promises to empower us to accomplish His purpose for our lives. His Spirit strengthens us to achieve the impossible.
“And I find that the strength of Christ’s explosive power infuses me to conquer every difficulty.” Phil. 4:13 TPT
Remember, use your authority in Christ! God’s power is at work in us, and with us, stand on this.
“You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.” Psalm 91:13
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.
God also promises to share strategies and visions with us. Vision empowers you to move forward and achieve your goals and dreams.
“Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.” Jer. 33:3 NKJV
I hope this series has been a blessing to you! Trust in God’s promises in Psalm 91, and put those promises into action in your life!
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.
