An Anchor for Anxiety

deals with the dangers of life.

Psalm 91 HCSB

1 The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells 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 He Himself will deliver you from the hunter’s net, from the destructive plague. 4 He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield. 5 You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day, 6 the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon. 7 Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you. 8 You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord—my refuge, the Most High—your dwelling place, 10 no harm will come to you; no plague will come near your tent. 11 For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways. 12 They will support you with their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. 13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the young lion and the serpent. 14 Because he is lovingly devoted to Me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows My name. 15 When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor. 16 I will satisfy him with a long life and show him My salvation.

Open It

1.What endangers our health and safety in today’s world?

2.What emotions do you feel when you think about the dangers you face?

Psalm 91

is the promise of satisfaction. It is believed that Moses may have written this psalm during the wilderness journey.

This is a phenomenal chapter that has offered comfort to countless millions facing complication, consternation,

condemnation, confrontation, castigation, cancellation, or capitulation.

It is like a strong anchor in times of anxiety. It is a wonderful chapter.

In fact, this chapter caught Satan's attention.

It contains the only verse that Satan distorted and misquoted to Jesus,

in order to undermine the powerful truth found within it.

This chapter is like an anchor in times of anxiety.

It provides stability, security, and serenity for the Christian who is entrusting his life in God's care.

I. THE PLACE OF PROTECTION—Psalm 91:1

A.Those who are enjoying the stability, security, and serenity that come from God's care and protection have positioned themselves in a place of blessing.

1.They are blessed because they have submitted and put themselves under God's care.

The word "dwelleth" is from the Hebrew word yashab {yaw-shab'}.

It not only means "to dwell, but to sit down and make yourself at home."

The word speaks of consistency, cognizance, and comfort.

The place where you dwell is the place you consistently live every day.

For most people, it is their home, a place they are comfortable more than any place else

* Dwelling under God's shelter is being comfortable with the Lord's leadership, yielding the control of your life to the Lord, trusting in Him and His will with confidence, joy, and peace.

This was the sentiment of David.

Psalm 32:7 For you are my hiding place; you protect me from trouble. You surround me with songs of victory.

II. THE PROCLAMATION OF THE CONFIDENT— Psalm 91:2-3

A. Are you down in the dumps or in danger? Then verbally declare your confidence and faith in the Lord.

Brag on the Lord openly.

In fact, the word "say" can be translated "boast."

It will do you good! Proclaim the fact that He is your refuge, your fortress, your castle, your stronghold.

1. We have an anchor in times of anxiety because of the fact that our Lord keeps His promises and has the power to do so for He is God and always will be God.

He is everything we need Him to be.

Our responsibility is to trust, really trust in Him.

Proverbs 3:5-6—... Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own

understanding. [6] In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths.

In the fall of 1892, evangelist D. L. Moody boarded a ship in Southampton bound for New York.

Three days into the journey, Moody, lying on his bunk

and was thanking the Lord for the safety that he had enjoyed in his journeys and

the fact that he never encountered any serious accidents.

While having such thoughts he was startled by a loud noise, and the vessel began to shudder.

The passengers cried out that their cabins were filling with water.

The large shaft that drove the propeller had broken and smashed through the side of the ship.

Water began pouring in and it was soon apparent that the ship would sink.

Hundreds of people that night sensed that their deaths were imminent.

There was no ship in sight in the blackness of the night.

No one went to sleep.

The next day, it was no different.

The ship was helpless and they were alone at sea.

Moody was no stranger to dangerous situations.

He'd been shot at in the Civil War.

In Chicago, during the great cholera epidemic,

he fearlessly visited the sick and dying.

"But on the sinking ship,"

Moody wrote in his memoirs, "it was different.

It was the darkest hour of my life.

I had thought myself superior to the fear of death,"

but that illusion quickly vanished.

"I could not endure it." Moody was gripped with fear.

It was a difficult time in his life

for he had recently learned that he was having heart complications too.

A sinking ship was not helping matters at all.

Moody went to his cabin and on his knees poured out his heart to God.

He found refuge in the chapter we are studying right now.

Psalm 91 gave him great comfort and peace.

What happened?

Moody said, "God heard my cry, and enabled me to say,

'Thy will be done!'"

He went to bed and fell asleep.

He wrote, "I never slept any more soundly in all my life."

At three in the morning on the second night,

Moody's son awakened him with good news:

a steamer, the Lake Huron, had heard their distress signals.

Seven days later, they were towed into safe harbor.

Moody was afraid and helpless on that sinking ship at sea.

He had no control of his circumstances.

All he could do was trust God with his life

and make the Lord his refuge and fortress,

but that was enough.

You know what?

It is enough for us too.

God is not going to call you home to glory

until He is finished with you.

So by the grace of God, just trust and serve Him day by day.

2. Many times, God comes through right at the last moment when our situation looks hopeless and desperate and He snatches us quickly from destruction

Our Lord has a way of rapidly turning the tables.

Such was the case with the Israelites when they were cornered by the Egyptians,

but God opened the Red Sea at the right moment.

The three Hebrews were thrown into the furnace

and Daniel was in the lion's den,

but God delivered them when they needed to be rescued.

His timing is always perfect.

* His rescue efforts can come from the most unlikely sources.

Dobie Gadient, a schoolteacher for thirteen years,

decided to travel across America and see the sights she had taught about.

Traveling alone in a truck with her camper in tow,

she launched out on her great adventure.

One afternoon, while she was rounding a curve

on I-5 near Sacramento in rush-hour traffic,

a water pump blew on her truck.

She was tired, exasperated, scared, and very much alone.

In spite of the traffic jam she caused,

no one seemed interested in helping her.

Leaning up against the trailer, she prayed,

"Please, God, send me an angel,

preferably one with mechanical experience."

Within four minutes, a huge Harley Davison motorcycle drove up,

saddled by an enormous man sporting long,

black hair, a beard, and tattooed arms.

With an incredible air of confidence,

the giant jumped off and went to work on the truck,

without even glancing at Dobie.

Within another few minutes,

he flagged down a larger truck,

attached a tow chain to the frame of the disabled Chevy,

and whisked the whole 56-foot rig off the freeway onto a side street,

where he calmly continued to work on the water pump.

The intimidated little schoolteacher was too dumbfounded to talk,

especially when she read the paralyzing words on the back of his leather jacket: "Hell's Angels—California."

As he finished his task, she finally got up enough courage to say,

"Thank you so much,"

and carry on a brief conversation with her rescuer.

Noting her surprise at the whole ordeal,

he looked her straight in the eye and advised,

"Don't judge a book by its cover.

You may not know who you're talking to."

With that, he gave her a huge smile,

closed the hood of the truck,

and straddled his Harley.

With a wave,

he was gone as fast as he had appeared.

3. We need to learn to trust the Lord through thick and thin, especially in those times of desperation.

B. God not only promises to deliver us from the snare of the fowler(Hunter), but also from the noisome pestilence or deadly disease.

God can prevent you from becoming sick or being ravaged by disease while others around you are dying.

This promise is not to be understood as absolute,

or as meaning that no one who fears God will ever fall by the pestilence.

We know ourselves that good people "do" die from sickness

as well as bad people, but the idea is, that God "can" preserve us

at such a deadly time if He so wills it.

1. Our responsibility is to trust in Him.

Job 13:15a Psalm 18:30 Psalm 62:8

III. OUR PROTECTION & PEACE IN DANGEROUS TIMES—Psalm 91:4-7

A. Like the chicks, people everywhere need to be sheltered, protected, or covered. People everywhere need a sense of security.

1.True hope and security are found in the Lord Jesus Christ.

* We are covered by the feathers and sheltering wings of the Lord. His truth is our defense. It is our shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4a

The word "shield" is from the Hebrew word tsinnah {tsin-naw'}.

This shield is the large one that covers the entire body.

Goliath had this type of shield and had a man carry this for him.

1 Samuel 17:7 HCSB

His spear shaft was like a weaver’s beam, and the iron point of his spear weighed 15 pounds. In addition, a shield-bearer was walking in front of him.

* God's truth is as a shield of a soldier in battle. Psalm 91:4 b.

2.Genuine security brings peace in times of darkness, danger, destruction, disease, and death.

3.Security and peace are a by-product of entrusting your life to God's care and lordship.

The fear of the unknown,

the fear of loneliness, the fear of darkness, the fear of the future,

or the fear of battle can be removed

when your life is totally yielded to the Lord

and you are obeying and doing what He instructs you to do in His Word.

Peace comes from trusting in Him.

Psalm 56:4—In God I will praise his word, in God I have put my trust; I will not fear what flesh can do unto me.

Psalm 118:6—The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do unto me?

Hebrews 13:6—So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me.

RM #4

IV. THE PERCEPTION OF GOD'S JUDGMENT—

Psalm 91:8-9

Psalm 91:8–9 HCSB

8 You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. 9 Because you have made the Lord—my refuge, the Most High—your dwelling place,

* Have you ever gotten discouraged or angry

because ungodly people seemed to get away with their perversion, injustice, or wickedness?

God offers some encouragement here,

"You will see with your own eyes the reward of the wicked.

You will see the reaping of what they have sown."

God is a God of justice.

A. We all will reap what we have sown not only in this life time, but also in eternity.

Galatians 6:9 HCSB

So we must not get tired of doing good, for we will reap at the proper time if we don’t give up.

1.We will witness God's justice upon the wicked because we have clung to Him and made Him the refuge of our lives.

RM #5

V. THE PATRONS OF HEAVEN Psalm 91:10-13

A. If God has a task for you to do, He can protect you from evil which involves misery, calamity, distress, or injury.

1.He can also keep you healthy, even in times of disease and pestilence. Psalm 91:10b

2.He will protect you and use His angels to do so. Psalm 91:11

3.No matter what touches you, nothing can touch you out of the will of God if you put yourself under the shadow of the Almighty! Psalm 91:12

* God says He will give His angels "charge" over us. Psalm 91:11

The Bible says that God gives

His angels orders to guard and protect us according to His will for our lives.

Charles Herbert Lightoller was tall, sun-bronzed, and handsome,

possessing a deep, pleasant speaking voice.

His mother died during his infancy,

his father abandoned him,

and he ran off to sea at the age of thirteen.

By 1912, he was a respected seaman for the White Star Line

and was assigned to the maiden voyage of the greatest ocean liner ever built, the Titanic.

He was just drifting off to sleep on April 14th,

when he felt a bump in the ship's forward motion.

Hopping from his bunk,

he soon learned that the Titanic had struck an iceberg.

As the horrors of that night unfolded,

Lightoller finally found himself standing on the roof of the officer's quarters,

the water lapping at his feet,

as he helped any and all around him into lifeboats.

Finally, there was nothing left for Lightoller to do

but jump from the roof into the freezing waters of the North Atlantic.

The shock of the 28-degree water against his sweating body stunned him.

As he struggled to regain his bearing and swim away from the ship, he was suddenly sucked back

and pinned against a ventilation grate

at the base of a funnel that went all the way down to Boiler Room 6.

He was stuck, drowning, and going down with the ship.

Suddenly Psalm 91:11 came clearly to his mind:

For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways....

At that very moment,

a blast of hot air exploded from the belly of the ship,

shooting Lightoller like a missile to the surface of the ocean.

At length, he managed to grab a piece of rope

attached to the side of an overturned lifeboat

and float along with it until he pulled himself on top of the upside-down boat.

He turned and watched the last moments of the Titanic.

Her stern swung up in the air until the ship

was in "an absolutely perpendicular position."

Then she slowly sank down into the water,

with only a small gulp as her stern disappeared beneath the waves.

There were about thirty men atop the lifeboat,

and together they recited the Lord's Prayer,

then Lightoller took command of the boat

and guided them to safety.

God took care of these men on this night.

4.Angels are our guardians, they are powerful beings, giving us protection at the command of their boss, the Lord.

John G. Paton, a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands,

told a story involving the protective care of angels.

Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning out the Patons and killing them.

John Paton and his wife prayed all during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them.

When daylight came they were amazed to see the attackers unaccountably leave.

A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Christ,

and Paton, remembering what had happened,

asked the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing them.

The chief replied in surprise, "Who were all those men you had there with you. The missionary answered,

"There were no men there; just my wife and I."

The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard,

hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn swords in their hands.

They seemed to circle the mission station, so the natives were afraid to attack.

Only then did the Rev. Paton realize that God had sent his angels to protect them.

What did the Bible say?

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

* "Do we have a guardian angel?"

The Bible does not state whether each believer has a specific guardian angel, or

whether various angels on occasion simply protect and aid the heirs of salvation.

Both are logical possibilities. Here are some verses to consider.

Matthew 18:10—Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you,

That in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven.

Hebrews 1:14—Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?

Hebrews 13:2—Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares.

RM #6

VI. OTHER PREMIUMS OF OUR FAITH Psalm 91:14-16

As the curtain is drawn in this wonderful chapter, we are encouraged and blessed by the wonderful promises and blessings laid out before us.

Psalm 91:14

A. The Lord says that those who love Him and those who know Him can claim the list of promises for themselves.Psalm 50:15—

God's promises,  then, are for those who cling to Him in faith.  God's promises are for those who bind themselves to the Lord.  God's promises are for those who wrap themselves in the Savior and His blood.

B. For those who love the Lord, He not only promises the blessing of deliverance from danger, but secondly, the blessing of defense.

The blessing of Defense—I will set him on high or protect him. Proverbs 30:5—Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him.

C.  The blessing of Declaration—I will answer Him when He calls. Psalm 91:15 A

Jeremiah 33:3—Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.

D.The blessing of Delightful Comfort and Assistance—I will be with Him in trouble and deliver him. Psalm 91:15 B

Thank God we are not alone when life gets rough. Hebrews 13:5—"... I will never leave thee nor forsake thee."

E. The blessing of Deification, Honor, or Exaltation—I will honor him. Psalm 91:15 B

In the first game of the best-of-seven 2004 American League Championship Series

between baseball's New York Yankees and Boston Red Sox,

Boston's ace pitcher Curt Schilling was in pain.  

An ankle injury kept him from being able to plant his foot

and throw the ball with his usual skill.  

Schilling was removed from the game after allowing six runs in just three innings.

Teammates feared Schilling's injury would end his season

and their hopes to get to the World Series.

But in the sixth game against the Yankees,

Schilling surprisingly took the mound again.

Facing elimination if they lost,

 the Red Sox watched Schilling throw an amazing seven innings

 in which he only gave up four hits and one run.

 Every time the TV camera focused on Schilling's ankle,

viewers could see blood seep through his sock.

Doctors had stitched his ankle tendon into place to allow him to pitch.

The Red Sox won the game, and afterwards a FOX Sports reporter asked him about his performance.

Schilling answered,

"Seven years ago I became a Christian,

and tonight God did something amazing for me.

I tried to be as tough as I could, and do it my way in Game 1,

and I think we all saw how that turned out.

Tonight it was all God.

I knew that I wasn't going to be able to do this alone.

And I prayed as hard as I could.

I didn't pray to get a win or to make great pitches.

I just prayed for the strength to go out there tonight and compete, and He gave me that.

I can't explain to you what a feeling it was  to be out there and to feel what I felt."

Folks,

when we love the Lord and endeavor to honor Him,

 He will honor us in His own way and time.

F. The blessing of the Duration of our Days that are Satisfying- I will bless him with long life that will bring satisfaction. Psalm 91:16 A Proverbs 3:1-2—... 

G. The blessing of the Deliverance of our Salvation—I will show him my salvation.

John 3:16—For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son,

that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

 David Green was a business executive in the 1980's.

 It was 1986, and the world was crashing around David Green.

In the offices of his multimillion dollar hobby and craft business, Hobby Lobby, he read the bad news:

the bank was ready to foreclose on the product of years of his life and labor.

 He wasn't alone. The oil boom in Oklahoma had gone bust, and the overextended banks were failing.

Many business owners in Oklahoma City had already closed their doors in defeat and declared bankruptcy.

The Green family, however, knew where to turn for help in a crisis.

 Although the foreclosure of the business was the worst thing they could imagine,

they came to see it as a defining moment in their business and spiritual lives.

 David said, "I know I prayed prior to that time,  

but that's when I got really serious about it.

" He tells how the space beneath his desk became his prayer closet.

It was like a secret place for him to be with God.

He would crawl under his desk in his corporate office,

cry out to the Lord and seek His help and God gave it to him.

It was God's response to those prayers

for their business

that the family believes  pulled the company out from under looming bankruptcy  and set it on its feet again.

Hobby Lobby was projected to produce  more than $1.5 billion in sales throughout 2006,

 and Forbes magazine listed Green as one of the 400 wealthiest men in the United States in 2005.

God can take care of you.

 Such truth is like an anchor in times of anxiety.

Submitting to His care helps us to abide in His shadow.  

Living under the shadow of the Almighty  provokes several insights about our lives and how we are to live.

 In fact, when Israel wandered through the wilderness, they lived under the shadow of the Almighty.

The pillar of fire and cloud provided shade in the day  and heat at night for these pilgrims.

All of these blessings  and promises found within this chapter

 are like anchors in times of anxiety.

If you have put your Faith in Jesus Christ

as your Lord and Savior these blessing and promises are yours to claim.