Safety of
Abiding in the Presence of God:[1] When You Feel Insecure
and Need God’s Presence[2]
Psalm 91:1-16 NLT
(91:1–16) Introduction:
our sinful world is full of danger. Diseases, injuries, and disasters are risks
of everyday life. We never know when we might contract a serious illness, be
involved in an accident, or find ourselves in the midst of a disaster. Over and
above these perils, the greatest threat in our world is the evil perpetrated by
wicked people who pose a very real threat to all who truly follow Christ.
Scripture warns us that as we grow nearer to the return of Christ, the
wickedness of people will increase and we will find ourselves living in
perilous times (2 Ti. 3:1–5).
The dangers of life and its ongoing threats can leave us
feeling insecure. In spite of our best efforts to protect ourselves, we know
that we cannot totally shield ourselves from harm. For generations, God’s
people have turned to Psalm 91 for comfort and courage. Written by an unknown
author, it reminds us that God is our security.
Psalm 91 appears to promise that those who live close to God
will be exempt from harm, disaster, and disease. This impression presents a
problem: many people who faithfully abide in Christ do experience harm. They do
encounter and sometimes perish in disasters. They do contract serious diseases. What about the persecuted? What about
the martyrs? The experience of God’s people does not agree with the supposed
promises of this psalm.
The answer to this dilemma is found in correctly
understanding to whom these promises
were made. Psalm 91 celebrates the specific promises of God’s covenant with
Israel. Two specific perils are prominent in this psalm: the peril of enemy
attack and the peril of pestilence or plague (vv. 3–7). Notice how these
specific perils stand out in God’s covenant conditions and promises in the book
of Deuteronomy:
“Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that the Lord thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware unto thy fathers: And he will love thee, and bless thee, and multiply thee: he will also bless the fruit of thy womb, and the fruit of thy land, thy corn, and thy wine, and thine oil, the increase of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep, in the land which he sware unto thy fathers to give thee. Thou shalt be blessed above all people: there shall not be male or female barren among you, or among your cattle. And the Lord will take away from thee all sickness, and will put none of the evil diseases of Egypt, which thou knowest, upon thee; but will lay them upon all them that hate thee. And thou shalt consume all the people which the Lord thy God shall deliver thee; thine eye shall have no pity upon them: neither shalt thou serve their gods; for that will be a snare unto thee. If thou shalt say in thine heart, These nations are more than I; how can I dispossess them? Thou shalt not be afraid of them: but shalt well remember what the Lord thy God did unto Pharaoh, and unto all Egypt; The great temptations which thine eyes saw, and the signs, and the wonders, and the mighty hand, and the stretched out arm, whereby the Lord thy God brought thee out: so shall the Lord thy God do unto all the people of whom thou art afraid. Moreover the Lord thy God will send the hornet among them, until they that are left, and hide themselves from thee, be destroyed. Thou shalt not be affrighted at them: for the Lord thy God is among you, a mighty God and terrible. And the Lord thy God will put out those nations before thee by little and little: thou mayest not consume them at once, lest the beasts of the field increase upon thee. But the Lord thy God shall deliver them unto thee, and shall destroy them with a mighty destruction, until they be destroyed. And he shall deliver their kings into thine hand, and thou shalt destroy their name from under heaven: there shall no man be able to stand before thee, until thou have destroyed them” (De. 7:12–24).
The connection between this Deuteronomy passage and Psalm 91
is clear. These promises were made to Israel as a part of the old covenant, and
they were conditional on Israel’s faithfulness to God. They are about God’s
disciplinary judgment on those who are unfaithful to Him. As long as Israel
remained faithful to God—made Him their dwelling or refuge—He would protect them
from their enemies and from deadly diseases. If they turned from God and broke
His covenant, He would lift His hand of protection. Throughout Israel’s
history, this has proven to be true.
These promises were not made to the church. In fact, Jesus
promised His followers exactly the opposite: They would face harm. They would
be persecuted. If the promises of Psalm 91 were to the church, then they were
broken in the very first generation of Christ-followers. The apostles were
beaten and imprisoned. History records that all but one died as martyrs. Paul
spoke openly of the many perils he encountered:
“Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered
shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep; In journeyings often, in
perils of waters, in perils of
robbers, in perils by mine own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren; In
weariness and painfulness, in watchings often, in hunger and thirst, in
fastings often, in cold and nakedness.” (2 Co. 11:25–27).
How, then, does Psalm 91 apply to us? First, we should study
it in light of John 15 and Jesus’ teaching on abiding in Him. John 15 is to New
Testament believers what Psalm 91 was to God’s people under the old covenant.
Second, we should study Psalm 91 in light of the promises
God has made to us, the believers of the new covenant. God has not promised us
total protection from peril, but He has promised His presence in and through
all things. He will be with us, and He will help us.
“Let your conversation
[conduct] be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye
have: for he hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. So that we
may boldly say, The Lord is my
helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me” (He. 13:5–6).
While the specific promises of Psalm 91 are not to the
church, its principles are:
⮚ God is to us today everything He has always been to His
people.
⮚ God is our refuge.
⮚ We need not live in fear of danger or threats, for God is
always with us.
⮚ If we faithfully abide in Christ, we need not fear God’s
discipline or judgment.
⮚ God’s angels continue to guard His children.
⮚ God is our security in these perilous times of the last days
(2 Ti. 3:1).
Scripture says that the new covenant is established on
better promises than the old (He. 8:6). Whereas Israel was promised God’s
conditional protection, we are promised God’s unconditional presence. Under the
old covenant, the people had to dwell in God. Under the new covenant, God
dwells in us. There is no comparison. This is, When You Feel Insecure and Need God’s Presence, 91:1–16.
[of concern here is #1 Draw near—live in God’s presence
(vv.
1–2).]
1.
Draw near—live in God’s presence (vv. 1–2).
2.
Believe God—trust Him to help you (vv. 3–8).
3.
Be aware—God’s protection is conditional:
You must live in His presence and take refuge in Him (vv. 9–13).
4.
Cling to the Lord (vv. 14–16).
Ø
(91:1–2) Draw
near—live in God’s presence.
The promises of this psalm apply exclusively to those who
draw near to God and live in His holy presence (v. 1). There is a secret place (sether)—a hiding place, a
place where we can be concealed and covered—where we can be secure (Ps. 17:8;
27:5; 31:20). The psalmist identifies this secret place as under God’s wings (v.
4). This image not only speaks of protection and shelter but also of closeness
and intimacy. Before we can rest in the security of God, we must continually
draw near to Him, live in close communion with Him.
a. Because
of who He is (vv. 1–2).
One of the ways God has revealed Himself to us is through
His names. A prominent feature of Hebrew poetry is the restating of a thought
using synonyms—different words that mean the same thing. However, this is not
the case here. The psalmist’s repeated reference to God using different names
is for a distinct purpose: each name reveals who God is to His people. He is …
•
The
Most High (Elyon)—He is the Highest, the Supreme Being and owner of the
universe. As such, He is all-powerful and cannot be overthrown. This name “cuts
every threat down to size.”1
•
The
Almighty (Shaddai)—He is sufficient for everything we need. By His
inherent power, He sustains us, protects us, and provides for us.
•
The Lord
(Yahweh, Jehovah)—He is the faithful God who makes a covenant with us and keeps
His covenant without fail. He keeps all of His promises always.
•
My God
(Elohim)—Elohim emphasizes the
fullness and exceeding greatness of God’s power. The possessive pronoun my declares that we can have a personal,
intimate relationship with Him. He knows us, communes with us, and cares for us
individually and personally.
b. Because
He is your security in all things: Your refuge and fortress (v.
2).
Because the psalmist understood who God is to His people, he
was able to say with confidence that the Lord was his personal security, his
refuge and fortress. A refuge is a shelter from trouble or danger (Is. 4:6; Ps.
104:18). A fortress is a safe, secure place that is inaccessible to the enemy.
Therefore, the psalmist declared that he would continually trust in the Lord.
He would fully depend on Him for protection and security, and he would
faithfully run to Him when threatened by danger or trouble.
Thought 1. Once again, God is to us what He has always been to His people. He is the same God now that He has always been. He is our …
•
all-powerful One
•
all-sufficient One
•
faithful One
•
God
•
refuge and fortress
All that God is—His character and divine attributes—is even
more available to us today, in the church age, than it was to God’s people when
this psalm was written. Why? Because He dwells in us. His power does not merely work for us but also works in
and through us by His indwelling
Spirit (Ep. 3:20; Ro. 8:11). In light of that, we need to draw near to God and
to live in the fullness of His presence in every aspect of our lives. Simply
stated, we need to abide in Christ (Jn. 15:1–17). We have open access into
God’s presence—a great privilege secured for us by the blood of Christ. But
before we can abide in His presence, we have to be clean. We need to allow
God’s Word to purify our hearts and our lives, so we can live in His holy
presence at all times (He. 10:19–22; Jn. 15:3; Js. 4:8).
Ø
“Abide in
me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in
the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is
withered; and men gather them, and cast them
into the fire, and they are burned. If ye abide in me, and my words abide in
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you” (Jn. 15:4–7).
Ø
“For the
law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God”
(He. 7:19).
Ø
“Having
therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus,
By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil,
that is to say, his flesh; And having
an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in
full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,
and our bodies washed with pure water” (He. 10:19–22).
Ø
“Draw
nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners;
and purify your hearts, ye double minded” (Js. 4:8).
Ø
“And now,
little children, abide in him; that, when he shall appear, we may have
confidence, and not be ashamed before him at his coming” (1 Jn. 2:28).[4]
God is a shelter, a refuge when we are afraid. The writer’s
faith in God as protector would carry him through all the dangers and fears of
life. This should be a picture of our trust—trading all our fears for faith in
him, no matter how intense our fears. To do this we must “live” and “rest” with
him, abide (91:1). By entrusting ourselves to his protection and pledging our
daily devotion to him, we will be kept safe.[5]
[1] The New King James
Version. 1982. Nashville: Thomas Nelson.
[2] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2015. Psalms: Chapters
42–106. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible.
Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
[3] Tyndale House Publishers. 2015. Holy Bible: New
Living Translation. Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
1 Derek Kidner. Psalms 73–150, p. 364.
[4] Leadership Ministries Worldwide. 2015. Psalms: Chapters 42–106. Vol. II. The Preacher’s Outline & Sermon Bible. Chattanooga, TN: Leadership Ministries Worldwide.
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