Psalm 91

Welcome to Monday Morning Grace. I am so excited for this post. Today we will look at Psalm 91 and begin our journey of creating “Psalms for Today” to help us hide the truth of God’s word in our hearts.

There is no named author of Psalm 91. However, according to Charles Spurgeon, Jewish scholars tend to attribute authorship of any unattributed psalm to the last-named author. Since Moses is the named author of Psalm 90 and because of internal linguistic evidence, it is possible that Moses is the author. As we examine this psalm, keeping that in mind will provide some very interesting context.

For instance, the very intimate nature of the psalmists description of dwelling in the “secret place of the Most High,” “under the shadow of the Almighty,” is something that Moses, of all of the Biblical figures, would be able to speak to.

He was the only one to spend such intimate time with God. His time on the mountain, his time with God in the wilderness—Moses dwelt with God in a closeness that no other Biblical figure can claim.

The most cheering Psalm.

Psalm 91 is, according to Spurgeon, the most cheering Psalm, “its tone is elevated and sustained throughout, faith is at its best, and speaks nobly.” Spurgeon points to a German physician who suggested that Psalm 91 was “the best preservative in times of cholera, and in truth, it is a heavenly medicine against plague and pest.”

Proverbs 17:22a

"A merry heart doeth good like a medicine"

What do I need to do to walk in the fullness of the promises in Psalm 91?

In verse one we find two very important characteristics of the believers who can claim the promises of this psalm—they dwell, and they abide. Merriam-Webster’s dictionary indicates that “to dwell” is to live in a specified place. In other words, not a visitor—but rooted to that place, dweller.

Abide is a word that can be very confusing. Oxford dictionary defines “abide” as to accept or act in accordance with. In relation to scripture, it means to remain, be present. According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary abide means to “remain stable or fixed in state.”

Taking these two words--dwell and abide--into account the promises of this psalm are to those who are rooted in God, who remain stable in their relationship with Him, those who act in accordance with His word.

This is consistent with Spurgeon’s observation that the security of the blessings promised in Psalm 91 “are not for all believers, but for those who live in close fellowship with God.” This is not because of what God has done, but rather because of the distance the believer puts between themselves and God.

Those who enjoy the security of these blessings are those who make God their first line of defense, who find their very being in relationship with Him.

These are not Sunday morning Christians, these are people who allow God to be Lord of their lives, not just a t-shirt slogan or hashtag.

Do not despair!

Before you despair, consider the reality that all who are seekers are moving in this direction. God has not had anyone “qualified working for Him yet.” Remember Moses, killed a man and got the opportunity to spend forty-years in the desert. God looks at the heart and what He is looking for is hearts committed to relationship with Him.

The special benefits represented here are the surety of God’s work on your behalf. It is one thing to say God is a refuge—it is an entirely different thing to say God is MY refuge. This is what Psalm’s for Today are about—claiming the promises of God’s word for ourselves, because He has provided them for us.

God is my refuge!

Taking Psalm 91 verse by verse provides an amazing look at what God has provided for us. John Calvin, suggests that we humans “seek out a great-variety of hiding places.” How many times have you said, “well I was at my wits end and so when all else failed sought God’s help?”

In verses one through four it is clear that God is the only safe refuge, the only impregnable fortress. In examining verse two we can see that the psalmist is speaking from personal experience, “I will say of the Lord.” The psalmist knows, because he has experienced God’s protection, God hiding him in times of great danger.

Now, again take this back to Moses. He was in charge of approximately two plus million people, the Egyptians were chasing them down—that is real danger. He had to lead these ungrateful people in the wilderness and depend totally on God’s provision, God’s protection, God’s guidance! He knew from personal experience the amazing refuge of God’s presence.

God is my protector!

Verse three addresses the “snare of the fowler” and the “noisome pestilence.” From verses one and two we know that God is sheltering His own. Now we see that He will deliver his own from the traps of the enemy and from pestilence.

The idea of pestilence can really “cause a pause” for us having lived through the Covid “pandemic.” Regardless of your thoughts concerning that, the word pestilence means “a contagious or infectious epidemic disease that is virulent and devastating.” (Merriam-Webster dictionary)

To put this in context let’s skip down to verses six through nine. Matthew Henry observes that, “When death rides in triumph, and diseases rage, so that thousands and ten thousands fall, fall by sickness, or fall by the sword in battle, fall at thy right hand and the sight of their fall is enough to frighten thee, and if they fall by the pestilence their falling so near thee may be likely to infect thee, yet it shall not come nigh thee, the death shall not, the fear of death shall not.”

That is hopeful preservation in the face of an enemy that comes in the darkness and for destruction that comes at noonday. God’s eyes are on His own, He is watching, and He will be a fortress for those who are abiding in Him. Interestingly, we will see—“Only with thine eyes will thou behold the reward of the wicked.”

The reward of the wicked the blessing of the saved.

This leads to another compelling consideration; this pestilence and destruction will be the “reward of the wicked.” It is so easy in our world to believe justice is never served—but as children of God we can be assured that God is just and that justice will be served. He can do nothing less.

Jesus suffered more than we can even imagine for us. He carried God’s wrath, and He did this in His humanity. You and I are spared God’s wrath—but the wicked are not. They will experience God’s wrath; I believe this will be as a last effort to cause them to turn to Jesus. This should cause us to be even more intentional about sharing the hope we have in Jesus.

Covered by His wings.  

I love the picture painted in verse four, “He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust.” Calvin paints such a touching picture of this, “This figure. . . expresses the singularly tender care with which God watches for our safety. . . a likeness such as is here drawn between him and the hen or other birds, who spread their wings over their young ones to cherish and protect them.”

Have you ever seen a mother hen sitting on her nest with the little chicks sticking their heads out of that warm and safe space. Can’t you almost feel the soft feathers on your skin and that warm safety—knowing you are hidden from danger, without a care in the world, no one even knows your are there. Then occasionally God just lifts His feathers and smiles down at you assuring you that He knows you are there.

Satisfied with long life, delivered, and honored by God.  

In verse thirteen God provides a promise that focuses on us going on the offensive. So far, the promises have been protection and defensive in nature. Now, God assures us that, as Spurgeon suggests “Over force and fraud shalt thou march victoriously; bold opponents and treacherous adversaries shall alike be trodden down.”

In verses fourteen through sixteen God addresses the believer directly. Those who set their love on God will be delivered. Those who know His name will call upon Him and He will answer. He will be with us in trouble, He will deliver us, He will honor us. Can you imagine God honoring you?

God will satisfy you with long life and show you what your salvation entails. It is not just surviving until you die—it is about living in the promises of God, victoriously—right here, right now.

In verse five the psalmist addresses both terror and arrows—terror the perceived knowledge that danger is there even if you cannot see it—arrows the frontal attack of the enemy during the day. Do you ever wake up in the night assailed by worry or fear—the terror by night?

The enemy of our souls uses every device at his disposal to weaken us, to make us doubt God’s love, His power, His word. This psalm specifically tells us we do not need to fear. God is present and He is acting—He is not passively watching from the sidelines cheering us on!

We have covered verses six through nine above, but I want to revisit verse nine in relation to verse ten. Verse nine starts with the word “Because.” This sets parameters on the following verse—“because we have made the Lord our refuge, our habitation”—no evil will befall us and no plague (and yes that means exactly what it looks like) will come near our dwelling.

Before moving on, consider that NO EVIL, NO PLAGUE! Now that is a promise worth claiming. Before saying that this is just a figure of speech, note that this promise is consistent throughout scripture. I am going to include a few verses here for you to consider.

Isaiah 54:17 (ESV) No weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord and their vindication is from me, declares the Lord.”

2 Thessalonians 3:3 (ESV) But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one.

2 Timothy 4:18 (ESV) 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.

1 Peter 2:24 “Who His own self bare our sins in His own body on the tree, that we being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” (This promise of health is also addressed in Isaiah 53:5)

Psalm 103:2-4 “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who health all thy diseases; who redeemeth they life from destruction; who crowneth thee with lovingkindness and tender mercies.”

I will not include the verses here, but you should look up Deuteronomy 28:1-15. It lists all the blessings we can depend on if we are abiding in God. Of course, if you want to see the other side of that, continue reading about what happens to those who reject God. That is not a pretty picture.

The Good News!

The thing to note here is that this is for those who have made God their refuge—those who have made God their habitation, dwelling place. It is easy to think that we can just live our lives and it all works out. It seems from these verses that God is trying to help us see the importance of “dwelling” in the secret place of the Most High.

Again, I want to encourage you that this is not meant to be a burden. God knows what will make us happy and secure. He genuinely wants us to experience this sweet communion with Him. As we all know, any relationship that is functional requires time, commitment, and intentionality.

As we move to verses eleven and twelve it starts to get very exciting. I love the way Henry addresses the angels spoken of in these verses. He suggests that it is as if God said to the angels, “Take care of them, for they are dear to me, and I have a tender concern for them.” To think that God has given the angels a directive to watch over us, brings tears to my eyes.

Spurgeon makes the point that many will claim a guardian angel, but that is not what these verses suggest. He believes that this is an allusion to “all” of the angels. These angels, (it is plural not singular) have “received a commission from their Lord and ours to watch carefully over all the interests of the faithful. . . They shall bear thee up in their hands; as nurses carry little children, with careful love, so shall those glorious spirits bear up each individual believer.”

Are you still sitting down, I am not—I am standing hands raised joyfully greeting those sweet spirits who day and night are watching out for me; those angels that have been given the task of caring for me by God himself.

The picture above deserves special mention. The Guardian Angel pictured is located outside of Andrew Wommack Ministries business offices and Charis Bible College in Woodland Park, Colorado. This bronze was created by Mark Patrick, the husband of my dear friend Sharon. I wanted to share it with you because we often see such powerless pictures of angels. Mark, did such an amazing job visualizing an angel that would be able to offer the kind of protection I believe is described in Psalm 91.

(A link to Mark's website is included below.)

These words in Psalm 91 are meant for you and for me, personally. I am including a video here to further confirm in your heart the truth that the promises in the Bible belong to you.

Dear Father,

Thank you for the powerful encouragement from your Word today. Thank you for the promises that you repeat over and over again so that we will begin to understand the depth of your love and your intimate involvement in our lives. Lord, carve your word into our hearts so that we can benefit from the power of your Word moment by moment. Amen

What is the plan?

This is a lot to digest and begs to be read and re-read. God has laid out some amazing promises here and honestly, it is hard to imagine walking in this. But we of the New Covenant have even more reason to stand on these promises. Jesus opened the door, prepared the way, and made us able to approach the throne of grace with boldness. (Hebrews 4:16)

In the next blog we will examine a familiar psalm, Psalm 23. I think you will find there is so much more there, than appears on the surface.

Now for the fun part. Take this psalm and personalize it—write a “Psalm for Today” for yourself. I am including mine below.

Blessings to you and I cannot wait to see your “Psalm for Today.” Be sure and post it in the comments below.

Share your thoughts!

Christian community is the place where we keep the flame of hope alive among us and take it seriously so that it can grow and become stronger in us!

Henri Nouwen

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Cherri’s Psalm for Today: Based on Psalm 91

Today, I choose to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and abide under the shadow of the Almighty. My Lord is my refuge and my fortress. He is my God and I trust him.

He delivers me from the traps set for me by the enemy of my soul and from deadly disease. My Father covers me with His feathers, and I am safe and secure under His wings. The Word of Truth is a protective shield and a strong wall around me.

I am not afraid of the terror in the night, or the weapons formed against me in the day. The deadly disease that stalks its prey in the darkness and the disaster that strikes at midday cause me no fear.

Though all around me the wicked are stricken, it does not come near me. I see their downfall with my eyes, but I am not hurt. Because I have made God my refuge and dwell with the Most High, no evil befalls me and no disease comes near my home.

My Father has given His angels charge over me to guard me in all my ways. They carry me in their hands so that I do not stumble. I trample every danger—the roaring lion, the poisonous adder, the destructive dragon—all are trampled under my feet.

My Father says of me, because you set your love on Me Cherri—I deliver you, I set you on high, because you know my name. You call upon me and I answer you, I am with you in troubled times, I deliver you and honor you. With long life will I satisfy you and show you the fullness of my salvation—purchased for you, Cherri, by the blood of my Son, Jesus.

Disclaimer: "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

My goal is to honor the word of God and the personalization of scripture is in no way meant to replace or change the word of God. God’s word has power, and it should always be the goal of His children to use scripture as it is written.

If you would like to see more of the work Mark Patrick has done you can visit his webpage by following this link.

Important Information

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Sources: The following sources have been used in the creation of this blog.

Latta, Bill. (2015). Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary Revised and Expanded ed. Nashville TN: Holman Reference.

Water, M., Spurgeon, C., Calvin, J., & Henry, M. (2005). Parallel classic commentary on the psalms: Charles Spurgeon, John Calvin, Matthew Henry. AMG Publishers.

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