Psalm 91 is one of the more well known psalms, along with Psalm 23 (The Lord is my Shepherd) and Psalm 51 (The penitence Psalm). It is one which speaks of unwavering confidence in God's protection over those who "dwell in the shelter of the most high" – those who follow Him. It is also the psalm which Satan quoted during the temptation of Christ, telling Jesus to throw himself off the temple because (quoting from Psalm 91:11-12) "He will command his angels over you … you will not strike your foot against a stone."
These verses we are looking at today come near the end of the Psalm. They are the psalmist's final argument declaring that the Lord has said that he will do this.
One unfortunate misinterpretation of this psalm is that we as Christians will never face difficult times in our lives. That, because of our faith, God will guard all that we do so that life will be a constant ease and that difficulty, sickness, trauma, grief and pain will never cross our doorstep. Yet in real life we know this to not be true. We all face trouble and grief, heartache and pain and none of us are immune to it. In fact Jesus talks about this in the Sermon on the Mount saying that God causes the sun to rise and sends rain equally on the evil and the good. (Matt 5:45)
The hope I believe is in the line "I will be with him in trouble." No matter what we face God is in it with us. We are never alone. We see this with the angels in the Lion's den with Daniel and in the fiery furnace with Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego. Jesus in the stormy waters with his disciples. Time and again Jesus tells us "I will be with you".
Thus the rescuing, the protecting, the answering, the delivering and the honouring mentioned here happen right in the midst of our pain, our fear, our loneliness and our loss. When all feels shaky and uncertain around us, the constant hope and truth we can cling to is that we are not alone. We are with the One who has been to the cross – and who can therefore understand our fears and our pain.
Isaiah writes this beautifully in chapter 43;
"Fear not, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name and you are mine.
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you and when you pass through the rivers they will not sweep over you.
When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze.
For I am the LORD, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Saviour."
I pray that in all circumstances you will know the presence of a loving God
- Who meets you in your distress.
- Who holds your hand through the dark times.
- Who walks with you on lonely pathways.
And who will never ever leave you.
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