My Refuge: Finding Safety in God

Psalm 91

Bible Passage: Psalm 91

Summary: Psalm 91 beautifully illustrates God as a refuge for those who trust in Him, conveying His protection, deliverance, and faithfulness.

Application: This psalm serves as a powerful reminder for Christians today that regardless of the storms we face, we can find shelter in God. It encourages believers to lean on their faith in God during personal struggles, societal chaos, or uncertainty.

How this passage could point to Christ: In the broader context, this Psalm can be seen pointing towards Christ, who embodies our ultimate refuge and protection. Through His life, death, and resurrection, Jesus assures us that we can find safe haven in Him amidst life's adversities.

Big Idea: The big idea of this sermon is that God is our refuge, offering us safety and peace in a troubled world, and calls us to trust fully in His protective promises.

Introduction

Good morning to everyone and Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers in here! Today, I will be in Psalm 91, but before I get to the text for today, I would like to share a very short anecdote with you today.

300 Illustrations for Preachers Mother Creates App so Her Kids Return Her Calls

Sharon Standifird served her country in the Gulf War, climbed mountains, and took care of her family, yet she found she didn’t get the respect she deserved from her children. When she would try to call them on their cell phones, her children choose to “Ignore” her calls. Instead of getting mad, Standifird decided to create a cell phone app. Her principle was simple: When her kid’s don’t pick up their mother’s phone call, the app locks their phone. The app, known as “Ignore No More,” is available for any Android phone and is starting to catch on around the country. Standifird says the app works for her because her kids are a lot more alert to her calls. Her son Bradley has become an unofficial spokesman. He told reporters, “I thought it was a good idea. But for other people, not me.”

So, what is the message that I’m trying to convey with this short story? Well, it’s a story for the children and the fathers here today. Many times, we take mothers for granted. Why? Because they are always there. In Sharon’s case, she served in war and still took care of her family. How did her family show appreciation? They ignored her.

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So, always show the mothers in our lives appreciation, not just today either. This is a message for me, and my children, as well as all the children and dads out here too! Celebrate the mothers in your lives.

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So let’s move to our text for today, Psalm 91. Please stand, if your able for the reading of God’s word:

English Standard Version Psalm 91

1  He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.

2  I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

3  For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler

and from the deadly pestilence.

4  He will cover you with his pinions,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.

5  You will not fear the terror of the night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

6  nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness,

nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.

7  A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

8  You will only look with your eyes

and see the recompense of the wicked.

9  Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place—

the Most High, who is my refuge—

10  no evil shall be allowed to befall you,

no plague come near your tent.

11  For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways.

12  On their hands they will bear you up,

lest you strike your foot against a stone.

13  You will tread on the lion and the adder;

the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.

14  “Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him;

I will protect him, because he knows my name.

15  When he calls to me, I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble;

I will rescue him and honor him.

16  With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Prayer:

Lord we thank you for this Psalm. Lord, there are many that are here today with a heavy load. They feel as though their load is about to completely crush them. Lord, as I go through this psalm today, I ask that your Spirit apply this psalm to their life. Lord, in this psalm we hear many promises. Lord show us that we are to find refuge in your presence. In Jesus mighty name we pray, Amen.

i. Hook:

So, as many of you know I am a pastoral candidate under care. So, that means that I follow the pastors around, and even do some of the pastoral work. Well, a couple of days ago, I went to a funeral that pastor Jose was doing. Now, I’m not going to give a lot of details but it was a young couple that lost a child. Now, I knew I was preaching on Psalm 91 and I knew this is a popular psalm, right? It’s up there with Psalm 23. But I began to think, how will this couple read Psalm 91 in the midst of loss. Here we have a Psalm that makes promises of protection. Yet, we live in a broken world filled with loss. We look around and we can all testify of the good we have recieved from the Lord, but we also suffer loss.

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And many of you have experienced loss. But, as theologian Christopher Ash asks,

Psalms 51–100 Orientation

does [

That’s an interesting question to ask? I mean, what is this psalm?

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Is it some sort of measuring tool for your faith? In other words, does it promise good for those with a lot of faith and acts as a warning for those with little faith.

There are many in here right now that experiencing turmoil, loss, and conflict. Even some of you with the biggest smiles are suffering silently. And I say this not because I’m privy to any information, but because this is how most people deal with turmoil.

So, to understand this psalm we have to take steps. We always have to be careful when we read a passage in the Bible…and this is a general statement when reading any passage…, we tend to make a decision as to what it means, and maybe not understanding what the passage meant to the original audience, and in its original context, and then we come to a conclusion that the author did not intend.

I think this passage in its popularity often gets misread.

In fact…

Theologian John Stott points out, that this is

The Book of Psalms: From Suffering to Glory, Volumes 1 & 2 Psalm 91: Security in the Almighty

the only passage of Scripture which is quoted by the devil!

It says in Matthew 4:6 “and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “ ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and “ ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.’ ”” That’s taken from verses 11-12. Of course Christ corrects him.

It is a temptation to read this in a way that removes us from difficulty. Christ himself was certainly not removed from suffering and death.

So, Satan, as the father of lies, wants us to read this and say to ourselves, “how come I don’t get any of these promises?” Why do I have so much difficulty, so much pain…? This causes doubt and confusion for the believer.

Let us begin to understand this passage. And to have a good understanding of this passage, let us look at its historical context.

ii. Contextual Setup:

Its important to know that this psalm does not have a lot of information. No superscription.

So, as we read this psalm we should take note of somethings.

First, this could be that this is a message in which a priest assures the congregation that God is with them and will protect them from trouble. Likely, the trouble appears to be military, so it could be that the congregation is likely the army that faces dangers in the battle. So, this may be a psalm of confidence.

Also, the promises appears to correspond to the covenant blessings given to Israel. So it is a reiteration of some of the covenant promises. We see some parallels:

No need to fear, found in Leviticus 26:6,

Leviticus 26:6 “I will give peace in the land, and you shall lie down, and none shall make you afraid. And I will remove harmful beasts from the land, and the sword shall not go through your land.”

This is part of a covenant that promises good for the people of Israel, if they follow the law of God.

Another option is the agreement with the blessings promised here and those given to kings in Israel. For instance, the kings were promised, if they held to the law: salvation, answered prayers, long life, and victory over enemies. Many agree that this psalm may be addressed to the Davidic king as the Lord’s anointed.

There is very little in historical context, but what we do know is that this psalm is declaring that Israel as a whole, including the King find trust in God.

iii. Main Idea:

So, what is the main idea for us as a people united in Christ?

This is a call to absolute trust in the Lord. The Lord holds His people secure even through trail and death. Nothing can separate us from love of God.

This psalm assumes difficulty and suffering. As we read the psalm, we are reading turmoil that the psalmist is being rescued from.

But this is a psalm of confidence, it expresses deep trust in God’s presence, protection and provision often in the midst of danger and uncertainty.

Let us not be tempted into the idea of believing that we are exempt from suffering. No, the idea, once again is an absolute trust in the Lord, despite pain, suffering and loss.

1. God our Security

Psalm 91:1-2

Psalm 91:1 “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

Verse 1, as well as verse 2 give us a key to understanding the rest of the psalm with respect to who God is and the relationship that exists between Him and His people.

If we read carefully we read two names for God. We see, “Most High” and the “Almighty.”

We can look at other places in Scriptures that those names come up and understand what they mean. First, Most High. This was used in Genesis 14:18–20 “And Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine. (He was priest of God Most High.) And he blessed him and said, “Blessed be Abram by God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth; and blessed be God Most High, who has delivered your enemies into your hand!” And Abram gave him a tenth of everything.”

Abraham learns that nothing was impossible with God. The God who delivered his enemies, the possessor of heaven and earth. This was indeed the Most High.

Another name for God is Almighty, this was commonly used by Job, 31 times it is used. That’s a third of the total occurrences in the Old Testament. This shows God’s absolute power over creation, life and justice. It also demonstrates the mystery of the will of God, especially in suffering. We get this from how Job is using the name of God and through Job’s trials. But, it does not stop there.

Psalm 91:2 “I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”” We also get two additional names of God in verse 2: The Lord, or Yahweh (Hebrew) which was revealed to Moses as the “I am.” We also see the possessive use of God, “my God.”

We can probably have a whole sermon on verse one because of how the psalmist references four names for God. These names show us in relationship with God. God is the Most High, the Almighty, our Lord and my God. And along with those four names that the psalmist states are four terms of shelter and security. We have shelter, in the shadow of, refuge and fortress.

These are terms of security. The psalmist is using language to state our relationship to God. That language is communicating that God is able, God is trustworthy and instilling a sense of security that we have in God.

This idea of safety is a human need. I mean let’s just think about this for a second. I remember watching this documentary a couple of weeks ago called, The Twister: Caught in the Storm. Its about a storm in 2011 that ripped through Joplin Missouri. There were these storm chasers that were going after the storm. They found themselves so close to the storm that they could not out run the storm. So, as they were driving they saw a gas station or convenient store and they ran in. They actually survived the storm. But the point I’m trying to make is that when we are in a massive storm. Instinctively we look for shelter. And this is the picture that the psalmist is painting. Again, it is a human need to run to shelter and the psalmist is poetically making this case.

The psalmist is stating, those whom take shelter in the God who is able, remains is His shadow. This communicates a kind of closeness to God. It also communicated how safe we feel in the Almighty’s shadow. Imagine how close you have to be to someone to be in their shadow.

Then the psalmist makes a declaration of his own faith…I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Then the psalmist spells out for each of us what he just outlined…

2. Protection Outlined

Psalm 91:3-8

Psalm 91:3–8 “For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked.”

The psalmist begins to spell out the turmoil of life with this sort of poetic descriptions. And we can certainly fill in these descriptions with traps and afflictions. This is easy to do, right?

Most of us could not help but to immediately think of the Pandemic when hearing the psalmist’s words. And I don’t mean to trigger anyones PTSD, but its true. In fact, according to Lifeway Research, which is an evangelical research firm states that online searches for Psalm 91 tripled during the early months of the pandemic. I can guarantee that many of you looked to Psalm 91 for comfort… I know I did. This is true especially when you see the words pestilence and a thousand may fall at your side. Think about when you were watching the news and they had a ticker with the death count. That was pretty horrible, right? I’m sure there are people who lost member of their families to CoVid, I personally lost my father. But the point that the psalmist is making is a description of danger. This passage is not so much prophetic as it is descriptive.

Then verse four continues with the idea that the Lord will protect you during these attacks. We get a picture of the Lord covering us.

Again, what are we assuming? The psalmist is assuming Danger… Attacks… Pestilence… Death…

But in spite of that, we trust.

The psalmist reiterates the idea of taking refuge in the Lord and seeing the Lord act and protect and keep his people from the attacks of the enemy. Verses 4 through 8 are telling us to have trust in the Lord.

Now we go to a very difficult passage.

3. Trust in God’s Protection

Psalm 91:9-13

Psalm 91:9–13 “Because you have made the Lord your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot.”

So, I’ll admit that I was completely stumped by this passage. At surface level it seems like a great promise, right? “no evil shall be allowed to befall you…”

So, this is difficult because I see around me great difficulty befalling on God’s people. Faithful people too. We see everyday that great evil is happening to God’s people, while we see the success of evil people.

To give an example, I subscribe to this magazine called “The Voice of the Martyrs.” It’s a magazine about persecution of Christians throughout the world. We’re lucky, the only persecution we see is non-violent. Some Christians are fired for praying or refusing to take some action that violates Scripture. But even then, many of those people go to court and win. But, this is not the case overseas. Many Christians are being killed for nothing more that practicing Christianity.

How do we reconcile this passage to the reality that we see around us?

Especially because verses 9-13 presents some of the most intensely protective language in Scripture.

So, how will we deal with this?

Well, first, again verse 11 and 12 were misused by Satan. Satan asks Jesus to throw himself down, “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone..” Jesus has to correct Satan. In fact, Jesus had to experience suffering and death. The eternally begotten Son of God was not spared suffering and death.

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But I think this is a Psalm of toward the people of God to have absolute trust in him.

The question is will you still have faith and trust God absolutely in spite of suffering and death?

For many people, they can testify to verses 9-13, they can tell us how God has protected them in the midst of suffering, but God is also sovereign. Sometimes it is in his will for us to suffer.

This is a difficult thing for many Christians to acknowledge. Job says, “

English Standard Version Chapter 2

Shall we receive good from God, and shall we not receive evil?” In all this Job did not sin with his lips.”

I can’t say that I have a definitive answer for you…

Psalm 91 is not really saying you won’t suffer, it is saying that suffering won’t win. I love what 2 Tim. 4:18 says: 2 Timothy 4:18 “The Lord will rescue me from every evil deed and bring me safely into his heavenly kingdom. To him be the glory forever and ever. Amen.” When you go into the kingdom of heaven it is through death.

As Christ shows us, death is not the end.

The psalmist continues…

4. Divine Confirmation

Psalm 91:14-16

Psalm 91:14–16 ““Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.””

Lastly, what we see here is a change of voice. This is now an oracle from the Lord. An oracle is an Old Testament message from God, dispatched by a prophet. This is a message of salvation to the psalmist. He is speaking to the psalmist who has loved and known him. The psalmist has a relationship to the Lord. As a result, the Lord makes promises.

These are promises that the Lord makes to us. The promises come when we hold fast to the Lord… God will deliver us, protect us, answer us, be with us and rescue us. It’s important to know that these are promises. These are promises that we look to. These are promises that are forward looking. They may seem unattainable now, but they will come. Not even death can prevent these promises.

These promises are ultimately fulfilled in Christ. Romans 8:33–39 “Who shall bring any charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. Who is to condemn? Christ Jesus is the one who died—more than that, who was raised—who is at the right hand of God, who indeed is interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? As it is written, “For your sake we are being killed all the day long; we are regarded as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am sure that neither death nor life, nor angels nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, nor height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

What God promises is fulfilled through Christ. Christ suffered and was killed and this psalm was fulfilled in him. All those, in here who are united to Christ will see these promises fulfilled. Even in death, we will not be separated from God.

Closing

I want to close with a story of Jim Elliot in a book written by his wife, Elizabeth Elliot. The title of the book is taken from Psalm 91, Shadow of the Almighty: The Life and Testament of Jim Elliot. They even made a movie based on the book. Jim Elliot was a missionary who was killed in 1956 after attempting to reach the Huaorani people of Ecuador. They were a remote tribe that was known to be violent and isolated. Jim and four other missionaries went there knowing full well the danger that was before them. Jim Elliot was said to believe that as Psalm 91 said, their was no safer place than being in the Shadow of the Almighty.

Jim and the four missionaries were speared to death on January 8, 1956. Can you imagine the difficulty of hearing of your family members being killed while spreading the gospel? How would Jim’s wife read Psalm 91? Well, she wrote a book and titled the book after Psalm 91.

The Huaorani people were eventually reached with the gospel. In fact, Jim’s wife Elizabeth went back to the Island and lived with the Huaorani people.

This story started a global wave of missionaries around the world.

You see, it’s tempting to believe that Psalm 91 means that God will always remove you from suffering. He may… But He is sovereign and sometimes his will is for you go through conflict and suffering…

The question is… will you have absolute trust in Him…? Let us pray.

Prayer

Lord, we thank you for your Word, most of all. We also thank you because you see all of our suffering, you know the tears that many of us cry in silence. Many of us today are going through some kind of suffering and its debilitating. Lord we ask that you change our tears into trust, into faith. That we may understand that you know all things and death itself cannot separate us from you. Amen.

Prayer 2

Thank you again for having me. I’ll be here for two more weeks, we’ll still be in the Psalms. Let us pray. Lord we thank you for your message for us, we ask that your Spirit writes this Psalms into our hearts.

Church receive this benediction:

"May the God of peace who raised Christ from the dead Strengthen your inner being for every good work. And may the blessing of God Almighty Father, Son and Holy Spirit rest upon you and dwell within you this day and evermore. Amen.