14 day plan

Safe Shelter

Day 6 of 14

NIV

Psalms 91:4-7

4He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

Reflection: My shield of protection

“He’ll corral and cover you — trustworthy and protective as … a surrounding battle shield. In the world you’ll have tribulation … but come hell or high water there’s nothing to fear: not darkness and its terrors nor the crush of daily battles. Not COVID-plague nor world devastation. Hostility and death be on every side — know that you are secure.”  

(Author’s paraphrase of Psalm 91:4-7, through New Testament eyes) 

I like losing myself in words before sleep — in poetry, if not a story. My bedside anthology of poems, chronologically organised, gets exceedingly grim during the years of the First and Second World Wars. And that’s understandable. So too, the art produced in those seasons. Stepping back, you get the big gallery-picture: lots of browns and blacks.  

There’s nothing cute and sentimental in this psalm. It’s an honest big-picture affirmation that there’s a deadly pall to this beautiful but broken world. There will be seasons of darkness. Lots of browns and blacks, no matter who you are or when you live. Maybe the present is one of those seasons for you or people you know. 

These verses step back to get the bigger picture.  

Yes, it’s a grim fight, so be armed for the battle against the devil’s schemes (see Ephesians 6:11). But for those who trust him, God is an impenetrable shield of protection. And nothing/no one —NOTHING can separate us from Christ’s love and forever-life in him. (If you need more convincing/reminding, read Romans 8.)  

 There are many hymns and songs about God’s love for us. Rest. Rest in truth with this big-picture rehearsal: nothing can separate us. As you pray today, play this (or another similar song), and substitute ‘me’ for ‘us’; or that special ‘someone’ for whom you’ve been praying. 

Prayer:

Dear God, thank your that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any power, neither the height of joy nor the depths of despair, nor anything else in all creation, can ever separate us from your love. We are grateful that your love is secured in our Lord Christ Jesus, and nothing can come in between us and your love. 

 

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.

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Psalms 91:1-16

Psalm 91

1Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

4He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

5You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

7A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

9If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

10no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

11For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

12they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

14“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

15He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

16With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

The Holy Bible, New International Version® NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by Permission of Biblica, Inc.® All rights reserved worldwide.