“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High and rests in the shadow of the Almighty.”
You can say to the Lord: You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.
He will free you from the hunter's snare and deadly poison.
He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be his protective shield.
You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
Neither the pestilence that creeps in the darkness, nor the plague that devastates at midday.
(Psalm 91:1-6)
“Because he loves me, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he knows my name.
He will cry to me, and I will answer him, and in adversity I will be with him; I will deliver him and cover him with honor.
I will give you long life, and I will show you my salvation."
(Psalm 91:14-16)
Trust in God is the opposite of fear, therefore, whoever remains in the shelter of the Almighty, and takes shelter in the shadow of the Almighty, can feel safe.
Omnipotent, is an attribute and a name of God that comes from the Hebrew, “shadday” and translates as “the Almighty”, this name appears around 50 times in the Old Testament and was the name with which the patriarchs knew the God, referring to Him as the powerful, invincible, great and strong God.
All of these adjectives show us the eternal nature of our Father God, which we can trust. “Shadday” is composed of the particle “shed” (who or which) and “day” (enough), therefore, Shadday is the “all-sufficient God”, eternally capable of being everything we need.
The psalmist here expresses his complete trust in the Lord in times of danger and defiance against the powers of the evil one. He emphasizes a deep, intimate and personal communion with God when he says to the Lord, “You are my refuge, my fortress, the God in whom I trust,” Psalm 91:2. The answer to all our fears is a close relationship with God.
We must appropriate all the promises of this psalm and we will find refuge and protection in God at all times, against every temptation and attack from Satan, Psalm 91:11-12 tells us that God sends angels to watch over us.
In the last part of Psalm 91:14-16, God Himself speaks emphasizing His promise of personal protection. Again he prioritizes our personal relationship with Him: “Because he has set his love upon me, I also will deliver him; I will exalt him, because he knows my name.” This promise includes deliverance, rising above our circumstances, the answer to our prayers, His presence in times of trouble, seeing His glory in our lives, satisfying us with a long life, and showing us His salvation.
It is the same call from Jesus for us to remain in close relationship with Him, John 15:5 “I am the vine, you are the branches; He who abides in me, and I in him, bears much fruit; because apart from me you can do nothing.”
Moses was protected by the hand of God as he showed him his glory so that he would not die, Exodus 33:21-22 “And the Lord said, Behold a place near me, and thou shalt stand upon the rock; and when my glory passes by, I will put you in the cleft of the rock, and I will cover you with my hand until it passes by.” Now Jesus is the rock in which we can take refuge and contemplate the glory of God, because he broke down all the barriers that separated us from the Father.
In the darkest moments, he will always hide us in the cave of the rock to protect us and free us. God raised Jesus from the dead and, in doing so, freed us from the fear of death and the future, which is precisely why we must be willing to leave our safety completely in his hands.
Of course, we who love the Lord will be rescued from tribulations and the Lord will be with us in the midst of difficulties, this is what makes the difference when we trust in Jesus and recognize his powerful name.
Let us pray
Lord, thank you for being with me in times of distress, You are my refuge and strength, under your wings I feel safe. I trust in You, because You are the Almighty, the all-sufficient God, there is nothing that is difficult for You, You are the one who fills me with hope for the future and takes away all fear from my heart. I accept the
Your promises and rest in Your truth, because Your Word is light in the midst of the storms of my life. Thank you for taking care of me and strengthening me in my pilgrimage through this world, in the name of Jesus, amen.
