A few years ago our whole family took a summer vacation to the beach. Unfortunately, we hadn’t planned ahead very well and came with only one tiny beach umbrella for 11 people!
It was late in the day when I happened to look down at our fairest grandchild and noticed that her skin was beginning to burn in spite of all the sunscreen we had repeatedly lathered on her. She was having such a great time playing in the sand with her cousin that I hated to call her over to sit under the umbrella, so I took a beach towel, wrapped it behind me like a cape, held the two top corners in my hands, stretched out my arm and stood there between her and the sun, to shield her from anymore harmful rays. I didn’t think much about it at the time, for I was enjoying watching them play together, but sometime later as I began to read,
“He who dwells
in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm
91:1
the picture of what I had done that moment came flooding back, and I knew
God had reminded me of that moment to demonstrate that He does the same for us.Can you picture your heavenly Father standing over you, protecting you, because He wants you to continue enjoying what you’re doing? We may not always sense His protection, and probably forget He’s there at times, or even wonder if He's left us to fend for ourselves in some tough situations, but He’s there! He has to be because of His character! He can't forget us if we belong to Him, for I know His love is far greater than my love for my granddaughter, though I can’t imagine what that must look like.
Psalm 91 speaks mostly about spiritual warfare and it happens to be my favorite Psalm for it also speaks of His care for us. The best way to remember it is by remembering: when in need call 9-1-1. No matter what difficulties we’ll face today, God is a place of refuge we can run to, and a shelter from harm.
The more we break down this Psalm the more precious it becomes! For example the word “dwell” used in verse 1 actually means, “to take up permanent residence.” Here, He’s reminding us to stay in His presence, for it’s a permanent place. His Word says if we do that, we will “rest” in the very "shadow” of Almighty God!
If you look up the definition of, “shadow” you might just find, a dark area or shape produced by a body coming between rays of light and a surface. (You must know I had to smile when I saw that) We are all pretty familiar with the effects from the sun. It can produce burning heat, harm our skin and wipe out our energy. The harm diminishes when we move into the shadows, OR the shadow comes to stand between us and the sun. I love knowing He comes to shelter us from pain; be it physical or verbal, His shadow diminishes what is actually felt in its intensity. Just knowing He's in control brings such a comfort and peace.
This entire chapter of Psalm 91 is filled with His goodness and the power of God, and offers great reminders that He is faithfully at work on behalf of those who love Him. But it's the end of this Psalm that I don't want you to miss, for He gives us 8 reasons why we have no reason to fear:
“Because he loves me, says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on 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 91:14-16
Because we love Him, He will,
- Rescue us (deliver)
- Protect us
- Answer us (respond)
- Be with us in trouble
- Deliver us and bring us to safety
- Honor us
- Satisfy us with long life (abundance life according to John 10:10)
- Show us His salvation."
How amazing is that? We are blessed for seeking Him, and choosing to walk in His ways. In the midst of this dark world, I can’t imagine living without Him. The truth is, this world has been growing darker since sin first entered it, yet God is here to remind us that we can walk, work, even play assured that He will always be there to remind us that we're not alone.
And though He never tells us that we won't face hard times, He does say He'll be with us through it to protect, and help us make it to the other side. We may never fully know this side of heaven, how much He has sheltered us from in this life, but I look forward to finding out, don’t you?
Until then, I know He can be trusted to stand over me and be my Shield and yours.