As we find so many of the Psalms, Psalm 91 is packed full of some of the most encouraging language in all the Bible. But it’s also a passage for which care must be taken not to misuse.
While the passage gives beautiful language for the shelter and refuge of being under God’s wings while surrounded by danger and peril, we must still read this passage with care. Psalm 91 isn’t a promise that as long as we are faithful no suffering, sickness, or loss will ever befall us.

In fact, this passage is the one used by Satan when tempting Jesus in the wilderness, but Jesus refused to twist trust into presumption. The misuse of Scripture was no way to test the Father.

These verses don’t invite us to pretend or believe we are untouchable. What they do ask of us is to trust that we are never outside of God’s loving care … and the difference between the two is important. One turns faith into a formula while the other forms a heart that knows where to hide when trouble rears its ugly head.

This week is all about the authority of Jesus over everything from sickness to spirits, over the seen and the unseen. When we consider spiritual conflict, suffering, or forces we can’t control, fear often takes over quickly. Sometimes it’s easy to see … sometimes it hides away, breaching the surface as fear, anxiety, anger, or withdrawal.

The Psalmist gives us a better place to stand: “My refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.” Notice he isn’t just talking about God, he speaks of Him in a very personal way. “MY refuge … MY fortress … and MY God.” Knowledge of the Truth is transformed into trust and the heart learns to take cover under the wings of the Almighty.

God isn’t indifferent to our fearful hearts, nor does He shame us for needing shelter. Quite the contrary, He invites us to snuggle under His wings like a warm blanket in winter. He sits with us in our times of trouble and delivers us according to His wisdom and faithfulness.

Jesus shows us what it looks like to be the faithful Son who trusts the Father without need to test Him. He walked headlong into spiritual opposition, human suffering, and even death itself without ever stepping outside of God’s will. His victory gives fearful hearts solid ground on which to stand.

This passage doesn’t make us careless, it makes us dependent. Fear isn’t our master. These words help us to confess over and over again our faith in “My God in whom I trust.”

What fear has been knowingly or secretly shaping your decisions, reactions, or prayers lately? How can Psalm 91 help you move from simply knowing the truth about God to actively taking shelter in Him?

Father, all this week we have declared you are our fortress and strength. Forgive me for the times fear has ruled my thoughts and actions. Teach me to trust without presumption of outcome, but to trust in You fully. When danger is close, draw my heart under Your wings and remind my quivering heart I belong to You. Amen.

“Today I can bring my fear of _______________________ to God by __________________.”