Overcoming FEAR!

Psalm 91  1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.  2 I will say of the Lord (you need to SPEAK it aloud when afraid), “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him (IN my RELATIONSHIP with Him—because I know Him) I will trust.”

3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler (one who catches birds in a trap or snare) And from the perilous pestilence (plagues, disease, and vermin).  4 He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.  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 (Any threat, anytime—morning, noon or night).

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 (but never experience personally) the reward of the wicked.

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.  13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

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 (relationship).  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.” (NKJV)

Some insights on Psalm 91

Psalm 91 is about facing and overcoming real life fears through the power of a real life relationship with God and His Holy Spirit.  It isn’t about living a life independent of God in which I run to Him only as a last resort, then return to “doing the best I can” in the meantime.  What makes this Psalm truly unique is it isn’t about “doing” something, but rather about “being” in God from a place of habitation so hidden and unknown to the world that He calls it the “Secret Place.” 

Ancient Jewish scholars believed this psalm was written by Moses when the Tabernacle in the Wilderness was completed and the Secret Place was the Holy of Holies where God dwelt in the midst of His people.  This psalm also fits another analogy when after their miraculous exodus out of Egypt, the entire Jewish Nation lived perpetually under the cloud of God’s glory and protection, that they were literally abiding under the shadow of the Almighty.  But Israel could not enter, let alone dwell in the Holy of Holies, so this must have been a shadow of something (or Someone) yet to come. 

Living in the SHADOW of His Wings

In the Bible, the "shadow of His wings" is a metaphor that conveys protection, refuge, and care offered by God.  It suggests a place of safety and security where one can find shelter from life's challenges.  This imagery is often used to depict God's nurturing and comforting nature, much like a bird shielding its young under its wings.

This metaphor draws from the natural behavior of birds, where a mother bird uses her wings to protect her offspring from harm.  In the same way, the Bible uses this imagery to illustrate God's willingness and ability to shield and care for those who seek refuge in Him. 

Fast forward 1500 years…

The Apostle Paul wrote:

Colossians 3:3  For you died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. (NKJV)

2 Corinthians 5:17  Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. (NKJV)

Once God Himself becomes my safe habitation, how can I help but proclaim my absolute trust in Him and His perfect protection to everyone who will listen?  As He hides me from all dangers, my confidence soars that He will rescue me from every trap and attack of the enemy. 

Invited NOT to VISIT, but to DWELL with Him!

God has a secret hiding place, and He invites each of us to join Him there. Notice that He does not invite us to visit. The promise is to those who “dwell” there.  To “dwell” means we live there.  It becomes our address.  God invites us to pack up and move into His secret place.  This has to do with being seated together with Him in heavenly realms (Eph. 2:6).

The psalmist reminds us that our faith and trust will be rewarded with rich blessings!  The Lord will either deliver us from or walk with us through life’s most vexing and challenging problems.  What troubles are depicted here?  There are those calamities that suddenly and unexpectedly come upon us (the snare of the fowler—v. 3; lions and serpents—v. 13).  There are pestilence-like dangers (v. 3), that is, those fears and anxieties we pick up from those around us.  The ‘terror by night’ (v. 5) may include those disconcerting and distressing thoughts that fly through our minds and rob us of sleep.  Then there are those dangers that arise from the antagonism of others (‘the arrow that flies by day’—v. 5).  Arrows don’t just fly.  They have to be shot by someone.  Add to these ‘the pestilence that walks in darkness’ (v. 6).  This may very well refer to those dangers that strike when we think we are most safe—that is, at night when we have retired in what we consider to be the safety of our homes. ‘The destruction that lays waste at noonday’ (v. 6) may represent those calamities that arise when we are in our most productive years.  Finally, there are those dangers we bring upon ourselves by being preoccupied and undiscerning.  Stones (v. 12) don’t strike or pounce, but they can inflict real hurt.  How many hurt themselves by simply being careless and oblivious to the stones that lie in their path!

The Lord is more than sufficient for all of these.  He delivers (v. 3) and covers or protects (v. 4).  While others are dropping like flies (v. 7), the believer is safe. He only has to look at it (v. 8) and not actually experience it.