Psalm 91 - Youth 180 Devo

Intro

Good morning friends,

It’s Germ here. And we’re on day 11 of our 21 days in Psalms as we lead up toward Easter. I hope you all are still staying safe and are keeping yourselves occupied despite all that is going on. I hope your finding some hope and joy from these videos each day I know they help me get through this time of isolation.

This morning we’re going to look at the idea that The Lord is My Fortress from verses 1 to 6. So grab your bibles and we’re going to hang together for a little while. Where going to continue our normal rhythm of reading the passage, talking a little about it and then praying together.

So let’s jump into the passage, verses 1-6 -

91 He who dwells in athe shelter of the Most High

will abide in bthe shadow of the Almighty.

2  I will say1 to the Lord, “My crefuge and my dfortress,

my God, in whom I etrust.”

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

and from the deadly pestilence.

4  He will gcover you with his pinions,

and under his hwings you will ifind refuge;

his jfaithfulness is ka shield and buckler.

5  lYou will not fear mthe 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.

This Psalm this morning is written by Moses. Another guy in the bible who escaped some pretty crazy things in his life. If you’ve read about Moses’ life you’d know that he had quite a few moments where he could say, you know what the Lord isn’t done with me yet.

You know what I mean, those moments where something almost death defying happens and you get though a situation where you’re like I probably shouldn’t have gotten through this and you get the sense that the Lord isn’t done with you yet. I know I’ve been through some situations like that. A funny story that I have is from probably the first time that I met Kim here on the Youth team, years and years ago. I was working in Halifax and her and a few friends including my wife Bethany were spending Easter not far out of the city. So they invited me out to have easter dinner with them. They drove into the city to pick me up and we had a blast at Easter. Then as they were driving me back to the city we found ourselves on a road staring at headlights. We were driving down a one way street. And the good thing was that the mistake was caught pretty quickly before something major happened. You look back at those times and you get the sense that God isn’t done with us yet.

b ; [; ]

And it’s just like what Moses is saying in this passage this morning. The reason we can rejoice in these moments is that the Lord is our shelter and dwelling place, the person that we can find security in. I get this picture of God being like a house in the middle of a blizzard. You might be getting out of your car and the wind is blowing and the snow is pelting down and you know you don’t want to stay outside in that mess. It’s cold its wet it miserable. You want to get into the safety and security of your nice warm house. Where you know you can escape from what’s happening outside. It doesn’t mean that what’s happening outside is going to stop but what it means is that there is a safe place you can retreat to and to recharge, and refocus before going back out.

1 Septuagint He will say

c ver. 9; See

But there is a catch here. An important point that we can’t skip over and need to take note of. The psalmist is able to say this because he has placed his trust in God. And it’s because of that he’s able to find his security and hope and protection in God. And who wouldn’t want that protection. I know during this time of panic and fear because of this virus I’m compelled to trust and know that God has this all under control, why because he is my refuge and strength. And verse 2 says that he’s my God who I can trust.

d See

In verse 3 it gives us great hope in what we are facing today. That God will deliver us from the deadly pestilence. Guys God’s got this and he’s going to get us through this corona virus. This isn’t a surprise to God and he knows what’s happening and he’s told us through the bible time and time again that he’ll never leave us, never forsake us and will love us and care for us. And we need to place our hope and trust in that.

e See

And the writer of the Psalms says again in verse 4 that God will cover and protect us. Just like a bird does with its chicks, that under his wings we will find refuge and safety. Guys God’s got this and he wants us to not fear, to not worry, but to place our trust in Him. And that’s what I want to encourage you with today guys. Trust in God, trust in his goodness and in his strength.

This is an easy time to panic, to be anxious about the future. But believe you me, when you trust in God and believe that he has everything under control you find a sense of peace and hope. It doesn’t mean that everything that makes you panicked or anxious will stop but it does mean that you have an advocate on your side who will give you his strength to push through. And the hope and belief is that we will all get through this.

f ; ; ;

I want to share a quick quote for you from a really smart guy on God strength. His name is Dwight Moody, he name does sound like a theologian doesn’t it, he writes, “When God wants to move a mountain, he does not take a bar of iron, but he takes a little worm. The fact is, we have too much strength. We are not weak enough. It is our strength that we want. One drop of God’s strength is worth more than all the world.”

g []

h See

And guys that wants we want. We want God strength in all of this. So I want to encourage you. Maybe today open your bible and read the whole of , get some hope and encouragement from this passage. Start reading John in the New Testament. Listen to some worship music, we have Youth 180 Spotify playlist. Let God be your hope, strength and strong fortress during this time.

But if this morning you’re like I don’t know what that means. Or if you’ve been struggling and unsure about what it looks like to let God be your fortress and strength send us a message. Kevin, Kim and I are available. Send a message to your small group leader. They want to help you to figure this out. To help you down the road of making God your strength and protection.

i

Let’s pray.

j See

k See

Father in heaven, You are my fortress, my protector. In You I make my dwelling and in You I am safe. Father, grant me the courage today to live without fear, to rejoice in Your care over my life, and to be ready and willing to serve You this day.

l ; ; See

In Jesus’ name.

Rohrmayer, Gary. 21 Courageous Prayers: A Transformational Journey Moving From Fear to Faith . Converge MidAmerica. Kindle Edition.

m

The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2016. Print.