Dwelling In Him

Faith in the sheltering wings of God does not remove physical danger or the need for precaution against it. We cannot ignore Beirut tourist advisories, or feed wild animals on our camping trips, or jump a hot motorcycle over a row of parked cars and trust God to keep us safe. We cannot smoke cigarettes like the Marlboro man and then claim the promises of Psalm 91 as our protection against lung cancer. A person who did these things would be a foolish believer and a foolish reader of Psalm 91.  Cornelius Plantinga

Psalm 91 describes exactly how we can depend on God in troubled times.  This Psalm uses quite a few words to describe the very nature of God’s protection.  In the first verses of this Psalm he uses the words “shadow, refuge, fortress, cover, wings, shelter and buckler”.  These words describe what we need when we are in trouble.  They provide cover from the very situations we will encounter in life. Sometimes I think the part we misunderstand about these words is that we must pursue them or run to Him for them to be effective in our life. 

If we choose to dwell in Him we are making a choice.  There is action required from us to receive His protection.  If we choose not to live in Him we won’t receive His protection. The character of God’s protection means that he “delivers” us from the traps of the world, provides “cover” for us when we pursue Him and He is faithful and “protects” us.

In Psalm 91:5-10 it tells us what God protects us from in the world if we dwell in Him.  If we decide to use the world as our protection, these verses describe the consequences.  The words used to describe this are terror, pestilence, arrow, destruction, fall, evil and plague. None of these sound good.

The other instance where we often misunderstand this chapter is that we believe that it protects us from harm, trials, hurt and sorrow.  Some of the toughest and longest lasting lessons I have learned have been some of the worst times of my life.  The irony is they made me turn to Him as my dwelling place.  He comforted me, strengthened me and it made me love Him more.  It wasn’t about dodging the bullet, it was about living through it and coming out better on the other side. 

God can be our dwelling place when things fall apart and believe me, they will.  If we reject sin God may allow us to go through pain and suffering in the process, but we often are a better person for having gone through whatever the trial may be.

Prayer for the Day: Heavenly Father, You are my dwelling place.  I trust that You know far better than I do what is best for me.  I praise You for getting me through the tough times in my life and for allowing me to go through them so that I could become more spiritually mature.  I can find safety in Your sheltering arms, so I choose to rest in You.          

Scripture: Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.”

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.

A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked.  Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. 

In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.

“Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name.  He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.  With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation.”  Psalm 91:1-16