Safety (Psalm 91)

Psalm 91 is one of the most comforting and well known psalms in the Book of Psalms. It is a psalm that comes into my mind when I’m faced with stressful or troubling situations. One particular group of verses in this chapter stands out to me: verses 9-16.

I love these verses and each time I think of them I am filled with peace. They read as follows:

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9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

• When we love the Lord and we make Him our stronghold we are ensuring that we will always be taken care of. The psalmist who wrote Psalm 91 knew how valuable trusting God is. They knew that though we live in a world full of calamity and strife, God is an ever-present hope. We can always turn to God and know that He is with us. Once we begin to serve, honor and love God we place ourselves under constant protection.
• Verse 10 reiterates verse 7 in this same chapter which says:

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Though the world may be falling apart around us, as children of God we do not have to worry.

Verse 11: For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

• Angels are real and God gives us cover through them. He assigns His angels the beautiful task of watching over us and protecting us in all that we do.

Verse 12: They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

• God loves us so much that He has given His angels the task of carrying us, holding us and sheltering us so that even a stone will not be able to harm us. God desires for His children to live in peace and He acts upon this desire by covering us with His spirit and His angels.

Verse 13: Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. (In this verse the word adder, in broad terms, refers to snakes categorized as being in the viper family. More specifically, it refers to a common venomous Eurasian snake. The word dragon most likely refers to a serpent, based on the context of this verse.)

• Verse 13 shows us that with God protecting us any dangers that come our way will be defeated. In today’s world, it can often feel as if there is always something around the corner waiting to strike out and attack us. Sometimes life can feel like an uphill battle with an unlimited amount of weaponry flying our way. But even so, as children of God, any weapons formed against us will not prosper (Isaiah 54:17).
• God will give us the strength to keep pushing on and to crush any opposition, danger or evil we face.

Verse 14: Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

• This verse is God speaking directly to His children. Our worship and obedience do not go unnoticed. Because we acknowledge who God is, He gives us covering. He delivers us in times of trouble because we love Him and give our hearts to Him. He raises us up because we acknowledge the holiness and wondrous glory of His name.

 Verse 15: He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honour him.

• When we pray to God, when we call to Him; He hears us. Though we might feel alone and unheard, the truth is that God will always hear our pleas and questions. He will always answer us and He will do so in the right time and way. He will stand with us and hold us when we find ourselves in trouble. He will save us and lift us up because we are faithful to Him.

]Verse 16: With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation. 

• Psalm 91 ends on this beautiful note. Because we lift our hands up to praise God, because we worship Him and glorify His holy name; He blesses us with an abundant, long life and saving grace that Jesus Christ has provided us with (John 10:10).

Psalm 91 is a scripture that I always go to when I need comfort. I hope that reading this article brought you comfort today.