Whoever Dwells in God's Shelter (Psalm 91)

"For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go" "For He will give His angels orders concerning you, to protect you in all your ways" (Psalm 91:11, NLT, HCSB).

Troubles abound in life. No one's life is ever trouble free. No one's life is ever always a bed of roses. We may not think so, but even Bill Gates' life is hard. Life gets better, then it gets worse. Uncertainty in life is a certainty. Unpredictability should be predicted. Unexpected events should be expected. Life is like that.

How do we deal with such a life? Psalm 91 deals with such a life head on. Simple trust will bring us into a place of strong defense (Ps 91:2), the personal warmth of divine care, pledged defense (Ps 91:4) and a host of heavenly guardians every step of the way (Ps 91:11). Psalm 91 wants us to know that those who truly trust God are a protected species.

Psalm 91 is one of the most beautiful of psalms. This more than most Scriptures, brings great hope and promise to those who believe. The key word to describe Psalm 91 is security. Psalm 91 is a highly artistic way of expressing a fundamentally important fact: we are always totally secure, because God always has our back. It describes God's ongoing sovereign protection of His people from the ever-present dangers and terrors, which surround humanity. The original setting may be that of an army about to go to battle. Most of the terrors mentioned in this psalm are left undefined, no doubt intentionally, so that no kind of danger is omitted from application. Believers in every age can read Psalm 91 to learn that nothing can harm a child of God unless the Lord permits it.

1. God's protection (1-13).
• The confidence: God is my refuge (1-2). Theme stated: Sure protection. Affirmation of protection.
• The dangers: life's threats (3-8). He will save you (Ps 91:3) and cover you (Ps 91:4).
• The journey (9-13). He will command his angels concerning you (Ps 91:11).
2. God's pledge (14-16). Theme confirmed: Divine protection.

[ When life is hard. The people of God are always totally secure. A psalm for every believer every day. God's protection. God's affirmation of man's testimony. The protected species. Divine wings and guardian angels. An offer you can't refuse. Find refuge in God. Safer in a war zone than in a suburban house.]

(91:1-4) God protects us in two ways. 2 contrasting metaphors are used for God's protection: a fortress filled with shields and ramparts; and a mother bird gathering her brood underneath her wings. The fortress has walls of impregnable strength. Spears and arrows make not a dent. The mother bird, howevr, shelters with wings that are essentially fragile. She shelters her young from burning heat or rain and cold only by bearing them herself. These 2 metaphors point to the cross where the absolute righteous power and the tender, sacrificial love of God combine and shine forth brilliantly, both equally fulfilled.

God's majesty and meekness are fully manifest in Christ. "Let us wonder! Grace and justice join and point to mercy's store; When through grace in Christ our trust is, justice smiles and asks no more; He Who washed us with His blood has secured our way to God." John Newton, Let us love and sing and wonder.

(91:5-13) What can hurt and harm you? God seems to promise that nothing bad will ever happen to believers. Satan suggests as much when he quotes Ps 91:11 to Jesus in the desert wilderness (Lk 4:9-12). The devil wants us to think that God's promises have failed if he lets us suffer. But God saves us "in trouble" (Ps 91:15) not from it. Paradoxically, Jesus says that under God's care "not a hair of your head will perish" and yet "they will put some of you to death" (Lk 21:16-18). The only things faithful people can lose in suffering are things that are finally expendable. The real you, the one God is creating (Phil 1:6; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:16-17) cannot be harmed.

Do I value worldly things over grace, love and holiness? Do I value money, nice houses or condos, gourmet food, investing money, personal success, etc more than my Lord or my relationships? If I do then I will be easily discouraged by trials and troubles. My false may be harmed. My false self is based and built on my appearance, my social status, human approval and my standing in the church and community. These wax and wane and can be affected by a myriad of forces, the economy, aging, declining health, criticism and slander, etc. But they can never harm my true identity as a child of God. They in fact only make me stronger. When I lost a lot of money, God's unending everlasting love (Jer 31:3) became real to me. When some in the church viewed me as a negative person and a bad influence, it was God's mysterious way of helping me find my true freedom in Christ (2 Cor 3:17; Gal 5:1; Jn 8:32). Lord, teach me how to grow into your likeness in my afflictions.

(91:14-16) In these 3 verses there are 7 promises and 3 conditions. The 3 conditions:

1. Loving God.
2. Acknowledging God.
3. Calling on God.

If we are in Christ, God promises to (the first 4 are practical, the last 3 take us to a horizon beyond our sight:

1. rescue us
2. protect us
3. answer our prayers
4. be by our side in trouble
5. give us honor (glory)
6. give us endless eternal life
7. give us a salvation of body and soul (Rom 8:11, 23-25)

How much do we toss in bed at snubs, at being ignored, disrespected? Criticism always feels like death. How much do we crave for applause, approval, praise, respect and recognition from others? These are addicting and enslaving--as much or maybe even more than porn, alcohol and drugs. The esteem and worth we strive so hard to achieve and to get from others God bestows on us (Ps 91:15b).

1. What happens to those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High (1; Mt 11:28)? What does "dwell" mean? What type of a believer is this?
2. What is the key to God taking care of us (2)? Do you feel absolutely secure in the knowledge that God is protecting you? What will God do for those who trust him (3-4)?
3. What are the four parts of a Hebrew day (5-6)? How should a true believer feel 24/7?
4. How secure are you when you see calamities all around you (7-8)? [The flood. The plagues. The crimes. The terrorism.]
5. What can never happen to you if you make God your habitation (9-10)? Why (11)? What will they do, so that you won't dash your foot against a stone (12)? How does Satan misquote verse 11 (Lk 4:9-12)? Does this mean that nothing bad will ever happen to believers (Lk 21:16-18)? In what way can believers never be harmed (Phil 1:6; 2 Cor 3:18; 4:16-17)?
6. What 7 promises does God make in 91:14-16? On what 3 conditions do these promises rest?
• How do you rate on the 3 conditions? How can you improve?
  
• Do you expect God to fulfill the 7 promises of 91:14-16 in your life? Why or why not?
  
• The phrase "I will protect him" in 91:14 literally means "I will set him inaccessibly high" or "raise him to a high, secure place". What does this literal meaning add to your understanding of God's protection?
  
• Count how many times the word "will" is used in Psalm 91 in the NIV. How does the continual use of this word emphasize the message of Psalm 91?
7. How can you deliberately take refuge in God? How can you avail yourself of God's protection? Think about/answer the following:
• Make a list of fears and troubles for which you want to trust God for deliverance and protection.
• How will you go about doing what you need to do?

When Life Disappoints (Psalm 90)

Psalm 90 is about time – God's time and our time. It speaks about the shortness and preciousness of life. The truth is that Times Flies and Life is Short! How can you invest your life rather than just spend it? Each of us needs to evaluate how we use the precious gift of time. We need to regard each day as a valuable gift from God. We need to make the most of what little time we have during our lives--which is very very short in light of eternity (Ps 90:2)! How would you like to live your life?

My favorite metaphor of life is that of an eagle flying in the sky (Isa 40:31; Ps 103:5). An eagle looks beautiful and majestic. When it is flying, cruising or soaring in the sky it looks like a symbol of freedom. It appears able to fly in any direction--north, south, east, west, while ascending or descending--at any speed--fast or slow or mid-range speed--according to it's own choice and decision. This is the picture of a life of freedom as a Christ-follower, always led by the spirit (2 Cor 3:17) and never enslaved by anything or anyone (Gal 5:1), yet always consciously obedient and surrendered to God and freely in love with Him (Dt 6:5; Mt 22:37).

Psalm 90 is distinctive for two reasons: (1) it is the oldest Psalm in the Bible and (2) it is the only Psalm authored by Moses. Psalm 90 is a prayer written by Moses while he was leading the children of Israel as they wandered in the wilderness for 40 years. Because of their disobedience and lack of faith, they were disciplined by God. God would not let Israel enter the Promised Land until everyone over twenty years old had died. (Read the story in Numbers 13 & 14.)

Did you ever think how many Israelites died in those 40 years? Bible scholars estimate that over a million adults had to die – about half of the population. If you do the math (a million deaths in 40 years), it means that the children of Israel were experiencing seventy to eighty funerals a day! Added to their wandering and waiting was death and dying. It was the stuff of their everyday life. Death was knocking at their door – literally! Even though our present-day experience differs from that of Moses and the children of Israel, Psalm 90 still has plenty to say to us today. Psalm 90 is a Song of Wisdom; it teaches us how to live life and relate to God.

Psalm 90 is realistic, facing troublesome realities squarely and without flinching. At the same time, it is moving and beautiful in facing our insecurities and offering a remedy and a hope.

What do you do when your prayers are not answer and your hopes and dreams do not come true? Psalm 90 explores the question of how to react when bright expectations fail. It is  is realistic, facing troublesome realities squarely and without flinching. At the same time, it is moving and beautiful in facing our insecurities and offering a remedy and a hope.

Is life too short? Life is going by fast, especially as we get older and know that our remaining time is shorter than when we were young. Life frightens you unless you remember eternity. We are as rootless as tumbleweeds and will be blown about all our lives unless God is your dwelling place (Ps 90:1), your home. What you have in God you can never loose and will have forever. There is no greater comfort in all of life than this.

Is time moving too slowly for you? Ps 90:4 is one of the most widely quoted verses in the psalms because it confronts us when we are frustrated with God's timing. Time moves slowly for us, as we crawl from moment to moment, God, who inhabits eternity (Ps 90:2), sees all of history in a single moment. God's timetable is unlikely to match our own. Moses, the author, seems to look at life from the vantage point of old age, from where we can finally see, as God does, that our time here is short. This psalm should make you wise before your time (Ps 90:12) by not wasting your life on trifles. Soon it will be too late.

Are you ready to die tomorrow? Are you doing the profound soul work necessary to be ready to die? It is painful to be reminded that our lives are exercises in disintegration. We are wearing down and wearing out until we are dust again (Ps 90:3; Gen 2:7). 90:7-11 reminds us that death is not the natural order of things; it is the effect of our turning from God and the curse on all creation (Genesis 3). Without this robust doctrine of sin, we will not be wise (Ps 90:12). We will be constantly shocked by what others (and myself) are capable of, by how life swiftly takes away everything we love. We will trust in our own abilities too much and seek satisfaction in things that we will inevitably lose. You either face sin and death, or be out of touch with reality.

Living with Mortality (A prayer to God Eternal in response to the brevity of life)

1. Permanency. Generations past: our home (1-2). Affirming the eternality of God. A fixed address in time and eternity.
2. Perishing and preservation. Present experience: transience and wrath (3-12). Acknowledging man's mortality and need for wisdom. The endangered species.
3. Prayer. Generations to come: contentment and security (13-17). Asking for God's favor and blessing. Preserving the endangered species.