9b-13, while a third recited the Divine speech in vv. I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand. My experiences in my recent trip to India gave me a new appreciation for an article I read on my return. Abraham was instructed to leave the refuge of his home and family. To the choirmaster. Lord heal me from needing things or people more than you. These were primarily negative benefits: no fear and no fall. Now if God said to you Do this, then whether or not you have the means, you had better do it. 1 Cor. To the choirmaster. 1 1) Prayer for Traveling Grace for a Friend. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. In fact, a broad range of poetic imagery is employed to encompass the entire range of danger which one might dread. In spite of the blinding lights it was advancing towards us. That is not faith, but presumption. If you, O Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand? However, if we send up prayers for protection and listen to God when he re-directs, warns, and guides us We can avoid trouble! They want to know if you engage in dangerous activities like skin-diving or sky-diving or motorcycle racing. There are two extremes which Christians should avoid in the application of this psalm to their lives. 4:6). In the last section, verses 14-16, God Himself assures us of His intimate care for our safety, promising both help in trouble and ultimately, deliverance from trouble. 153 The NASB renders the second line of verse 14 in such a way as to stress the deliverance of God. For in death there is no remembrance of you; in Sheol who will give you praise? Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. We fail to live dangerously and thus we have little danger to fear. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In you, O Lord, do I take refuge; let me never be put to shame! If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Try to release your fear and patiently wait on God to work powerfully in your life. M And he came out and went, as was his custom, to the Mount of Olives, and the disciples followed him. WHAT DO YOU CALL THAT!!!! the moving finger writes wikipedia god protects us from dangers seen and unseen. While we know that Gods judgment is no longer our destiny, how is demonic and other opposition thwarted? Those who look to him are radiant, and their faces shall never be ashamed. I believe God is speaking to us all daily. T But, we need to do our part and stand firm on Biblical promises even when were weary The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life. 6:22). And threw him into the pit, and shut it and sealed it over him, so that he might not deceive the nations any longer, until the thousand years were ended. Two terms, deliver (v. 14) and rescue (v. 15), indicate that God has promised to deliver those who are in danger or great peril. It is those in peril who receive Gods help. In verses 1-4 God is the focus of the psalmists attention; in verses 5-10 it is the reader who is central; in verses 11-13 we have an interplay between Gods angels (they) and the reader (you); in verses 14-16 there is an interplay between God (I) and the reader (you). Yet this was for Jobs ultimate good. According to the Scriptures, God encircles, encompasses, covers and shields those who make Him their refuge. [20] The Major Legend of Saint Francis, VIII, 6, in Francis of Assisi: Early Documents, vol. 12 They will bear you up in their hands, Lest you strike your foot against a stone. In Jesus' name, I pray, Amen. Now they were bringing even infants to him that he might touch them. Our Lord personally appeared to Paul during the night as he was imprisoned, threatened by an angry mob (Acts 23:11). He shall surely pay. K The results of resting in the shelter of the Most High can be summarized by two expressions: no fear (vv. To the choirmaster. But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience. A Psalm of David. And if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to you as a Gentile and a tax collector. She was pregnant and was crying out in birth pains and the agony of giving birth. F We are told that we will kill cobras and trample down lions. I have suggested that the broadest range of opposition and danger is implied in the poetic description of verse 3 and verses 5-10. Lead me in your truth and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation; for you I wait all the day long. Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. E Be still, and know that I am God. No matter what evil threatens (or appears to), we are safe in the shadow of the Almighty. Blog, A A Psalm of David. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); I actually was gonna do it anyway but this ENTIRE WEEK he has failed to find money to give me or pay for a place for us to meet. One of those dangers was that of falling. 28:1-14) and the other Old Testament assurances that faith and obedience toward God tend toward longer life and prosperity. In verse 1 God is called the Most High and the Almighty and both terms stress His position and His limitless power.147. The most important thing about faith is not its amount, but its author. H The Lord is not slow to fulfill his promise as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing that any should perish, but that all should reach repentance. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. Every other sin a person commits is outside the body, but the sexually immoral person sins against his own body. Psalm 91 is familiar to us, in its words, for we often sing it in our worship service, and yet both its symbols and its promise of security are foreign to us. She received a B.A. Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land that the Lord your God is giving you. Then Jesus said to the crowds and to his disciples, The scribes and the Pharisees sit on Moses' seat, so do and observe whatever they tell you, but not the works they do. Now the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to hear him. If God is for us, who is against us? Look at the heroes of the faith in Hebrews 11. By faith Enoch was taken up so that he should not see death, and he was not found, because God had taken him. The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand. If he listens to you, you have gained your brother. The mother bird safely tucks her young under her wings. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. For if a man wearing a gold ring and fine clothing comes into your assembly, and a poor man in shabby clothing also comes in. Kirkpatrick writes of these same two terms, Significant titles, chosen to emphasize the power of the Sovereign Ruler of the world to defend His people. Kirkpatrick, p.555. Verses 11-13 comfort us by reminding us that Gods means of protection are greater than Satans means of opposing us. God wants to protect his children. A Song. Just as I was with Moses, so I will be with you. 150 The language is figurative: all hostility, whether secret or avowed, is meant. Kirkpatrick, p. 556. Those who recognize their peril and ask for Gods protection, receive it. God says of the one who knows His name, I will set him on high (v. 14, KJV).153 In verse 15 He promises to honor him. The heavens declare the glory of God, and the sky above proclaims his handiwork. Our text suggests three ways God protects us from danger. A Prayer of Moses, the man of God. And the devil who had deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and the false prophet were, and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. Hail destroyed the crops, the cattle, and the servants of the unbelieving Egyptians, but the Israelites were not harmed (Exod. God wants us to know that he is a Good father and he will always protect his children. For it is impossible, in the case of those who have once been enlightened, who have tasted the heavenly gift, and have shared in the Holy Spirit, and have tasted the goodness of the word of God and the powers of the age to come, Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. The One in whom the anonymous author148 urges us to place our trust is the One the psalmist has personally found to be trustworthy. In verse 7 the security of the saint is portrayed in a different way. Consider him who endured from sinners such hostility against himself, so that you may not grow weary or fainthearted. Just as a buyer is assured by a written guarantee from the manufacturer, so we are assured by Gods personal promise to protect us in verses 14-16. Notice that Jesus said to Satan, On the other hand, it is written (Matt. Insurance companies are very interested in statistics. God protects us from dangers seen and unseen. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Exod. They love to live on the thin edge of peril. In my Father's house are many rooms. This is a very legitimate translation and true to the way the Hebrew expression can be rendered. Second, the security of the saint is unesteemed because most Western Christians know little about danger of any kind, and so the safety of which this psalm speaks is rather abstract. While there are those who faint due to fear, most of us live so conservatively that we dont think we have much to fear. God guide me into your truth andgive me faith to believe your word is true. Copyright 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. We have ". 3:215:21). A bright flashlight and a petromax lit our path. Psalms 191:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Those who wage war against you will be as nothing at all. Isaiah 41:10-12. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done. And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. R 7:7-8). You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Have I not commanded you? Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin! 3:25), nor was Daniel alone in the lions den (Dan. This means that God will do far more than merely save us by the skin of our teeth; He will deliver us with dignity and glory. The word deliver (v. 14) implies danger. O my God, in you I trust; let me not be put to shame; let not my enemies exult over me. S The Lordwill keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore. Psalm 121:7-8, You are protected by God from accidents, diseases, false prophets, wolves in sheeps clothing, curses, bad relationships, gossipers, manipulators, slanders, fools, and followers of darkness. One final word. Those who dwell in the shelter of the Most High need not fear Gods wrath, which is the most awesome danger of all. For by it the people of old received their commendation. Psalm 91 Revised Standard Version Assurance of God's Protection 91 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, who abides in the shadow of the Almighty, 2 will say to the Lord, "My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust." 3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence; The first four verses have turned our attention to the source of our safety; verses 5-10 urge us to consider the confidence such security inspires. You shall not make for yourself a carved image, or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. For you, O Lord, are my hope, my trust, O Lord, from my youth. He was in the beginning with God. My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. And he will turn the hearts of fathers to their children and the hearts of children to their fathers, lest I come and strike the land with a decree of utter destruction.. 3:23; 6:23). If he has nothing, then he shall be sold for his theft. God won't ever break a promises he made to us in the Bible because he is not a God that lies. David Brainerd was an American missionary who ministered to the native American Indians. in Psychology and M.A. Ps. 13). 5-10), and He cannot fail (vv. The Greek word translated as "encamp" means "to camp in a circle," which shows that God's angels protect us by surrounding us with their presence. What then shall we say to these things? 34), but it was not dignified.154 In verses 14-16 God promises deliverance and honor. Bob is a pastor/teacher and elder at Community Bible Chapel in Richardson, Texas, and has contributed many of his Bible study series for use by the Foundation. O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath. Lord help me to believe that you give your children peace. This would include both divine retribution and demonic opposition. 4 Biblical Secrets To Discern Gods Voice. 151 The mantle of divine protection may sometimes be temporarily removed. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.. Ever remember that Jesus is your helper. Cite this page: Editor: Stephen Smith. That you should remember the predictions of the holy prophets and the commandment of the Lord and Savior through your apostles. God is the shepherd of all creation, even mankind and the earth itself. We continued our journey. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. Who will bring a charge against Gods elect? Jesus Christ offers you the forgiveness of your sins and the safety of eternal life in the presence of God by acknowledging your sin and trusting in Christs death in your place (Rom. Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. We will take on lions and cobras because we know we are safe in Gods keeping, even in the midst of danger. If you have never come to a personal faith in God, you must first recognize your sinful condition and the danger which this creates (cf. Therefore let us leave the elementary doctrine of Christ and go on to maturity, not laying again a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment. Y On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. It is only those who intimately know God and love Him who dwell in the shelter of the Most High (v. 1) and therefore have assurance of Gods presence and protection. Either God will spare us from a dangerous circumstance or he will bring us safely through the danger. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. 3:10-11). And have you forgotten the exhortation that addresses you as sons? Every time things get dull they precipitate another crisis. She is devoted to learning about human behavior and its affects on society. He is our security! Derek Kidner, Psalms 73-150 (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity Press, 1975), pp. The arrows, pestilence and destruction are all poetic devices describing danger, rather than specific definitions of the kind of danger we face. I assume that most of my readers have taken this first step of trusting in Christ and calling upon Him for salvation. 21:10-15; cf. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. Related Article:4 Tips Avoid Bad Relationships & Have a Healthy Christian Relationships. By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible. Your email address will not be published. Life itself is filled with dangers both seen and unseen, all of which gives . Verses 14-16 also answer these questions. At times He will pluck us from danger, but when He chooses to preserve us through it He does not abandon us. And if you faithfully obey the voice of the Lord your God, being careful to do all his commandments that I command you today, the Lord your God will set you high above all the nations of the earth. If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church. To our great relief the beast slinked away. Those whom I love, I reprove and discipline, so be zealous and repent. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent.. Ps. 7 7) Prayer for a Safe Trip Before a Flight. 20:12-15). 2 I will say to the LORD, My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust! 3 For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper, And from the deadly pestilence. The promise of help, honor and hope are for those who are in peril. We never fear snakes or wild animals in the streets of Dallas. In verse 6 we read, If You are the Son of God, throw Yourself down, for it is written He will give His angels charge concerning You and on their hands they will bear You up, lest You strike Your foot against a stone. Here Satan is quoting Psalm 91:11-12. God is our deliverer (v. 3). O Lord, hear my voice! We always pray for Him to keep us from dangers seen and unseen don't forget the unseen things we are protected from. In ancient Egypt, black cats were held in the highest esteem because they resembled Bastet, the cat-headed Egyptian goddess of home, fertility . To some, I can confidently say, you should live much more dangerouslybut not to all. 3 3) Beautiful Prayer for Family to Have Safe Travel. Gods deliverance of Israel at the exodus was glorious. This confidence can be taken to unbiblical extremes, as we shall see later in the message. I) First, we see that God protects us from danger by keeping us from falling. But many of us give God credit for jumping off of pinnacles that are simply our way of manipulating God and saying to Him, Im going to put Your reputation on the line God, and if You dont come through and do it my way, You are going to look bad. This is putting God to the test, by demanding that He rescue us from self-made danger. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. . But let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God's sight is very precious. With God as our refuge we should not fear and we cannot fall. I have chosen to follow the paragraph structure (and the translation) of the NASB in this exposition.146 Verses 1-4 introduce the theme of the psalm, the security of the saint. Thank you God for confusing the plans of the enemies in my life. If we always try to do things our way we can end up in the path of destruction. After a short while a poisonous snake slithered past us and the promises of Psalm 91 sustained us.145. The Bible says that "the angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him" (Psalm 34:7). God employs His angels to watch over us. We will certainly not fall under Gods wrath and neither will we fall under the terror of any other. Helpless we turned to Jesus in prayer. These 60 verses come from the Christian Bible- both Old and New Testaments-and feature themes of protection and safety. This psalm beautifully compliments Psalm 90, as Kirkpatrick (p. 554) also has noted. And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord! I lift up my eyes to the hills. God restores and heals His people, protecting them from the pestilences that come upon the earth. In this message I will try to deal with both of these difficulties, and to suggest ways in which we may find this passage more relevant to our own experience. G There is perhaps no better historical illustration of the truth of verse 7 than the exodus. Prayer For My Military Son's Salvation. While his enemies roam about in the world, David asks to be hidden from them. Robert L. (Bob)Deffinbaugh graduated from Dallas Theological Seminary with his Th.M. Jesus said to him, Again it is written, You shall not put the Lord your God to the test., And said to him, If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, He will command his angels concerning you, and On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone., Remember the law of my servant Moses, the statutes and rules that I commanded him at Horeb for all Israel. 6:3). Kidner, p. 332. Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death I fear no evil for You are with me. To the choirmaster. Psalm 90 has shown us a healthy, life-giving fear, the fear of God. 7 Bible Verses about Danger, Protection From Psalm 34:7 Verse Concepts The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear Him, And rescues them. In the spring of the year, the time when kings go out to battle, David sent Joab, and his servants with him, and all Israel. He protects them from those who would harm themwhether it's wild animals or evil men who would destroy what he has created. His keeping power is portrayed by the use of two images, a mother bird and metal armor (v. 4). May God protect you from all that would come against. From the perspective of the protected, God is warm and tender; from the vantage point of the attacker, God is as strong as steel. Davids rescue from Gath was not dignified because David was not depending upon God but upon his own clever intentions. today i deleted his number and didnt pick up his calls. Be gracious to me, O Lord, for I am languishing; heal me, O Lord, for my bones are troubled. 14-16. A. F. Kirkpatrick, The Book of Psalms (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1982 [reprint]), p. 554. It causes us to become passive, rather than to be aggressive. This Psalm teaches an important lesson concerning the strengthening of our faith. Luke 9:57-62). For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. Be blessed , Your email address will not be published. And David sent and inquired about the woman. I understand the term salvation to cover a very broad range of meaning, from deliverance out of danger, to long life, to the eternal life which the saint has by faith in God (even though the Old Testament saint did not understand this as fully as we do today). 4w; View 15 more comments Mans most urgent need is deliverance from the ultimate dangereternal judgment and separation from Gods presence forever (2 Thess. 23:37). For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. God won't ever break a promises he made to us in the Bible because he is not a God that lies. Likewise also that women should adorn themselves in respectable apparel, with modesty and self-control, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly attire. 16 With a long life I will satisfy him, And let him behold My salvation. (NASB), In the final analysis, our safety is only as certain as the guarantee of the God who promises it. 34). David's prayers focus on prevention when asking God to protect him before danger surfaces. Our safety is further explained in verses 11-13; through His angels God intervenes to come to our aid. For who hopes for what he sees? The Lord has told me that I need to buy this or that thing, they tell us, even though they dont have a penny. Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or danger, or sword? Behold, he who keeps Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. 1314). This is what Im praying for the reader as I write: I pray that you read them and God would guide you into his peace. 332-333. I personally think both senses are intended in Psalm 91:14. 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Here we find much more than a passive protection. We are not guaranteed success in every venture nor told that we will never fail, only that we will not fall from Gods purposes and from His protection.151 Kidners comments are well worth repeating: This is, of course, a statement of exact, minute providence, not a charm against adversity. 69:30; 148:13). If you would dare to live in accordance with our Lords teaching I can tell you it is dangerous. Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. 91) is because we have failed to live in obedience to His word. God loves you my dear friend!, God promises that He will protect you from your enemies which includes the schemes of Satan. He wants to keep us safe. God is in the midst of her; she shall not be moved; God will help her when morning dawns. It was not possible for the Jewish race of that day by any principle of evolution to have produced Him. 6 Steps To Become An Ambassador In Christ! Finally, those whom God protects are those who petition Him to do so: He will call upon Me, and I will answer him (v. 15). In other psalms human opposition is described in terms of lions, arrows and snares (cf. But God has more than physical safety in mind for us. Though you search for your enemies, you will not find them. Therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. According to Alamoth. god protects us from dangers seen and unseen Written on November 13, 2022. To the choirmaster: with stringed instruments; according to The Sheminith. Thankfully the cobras and other poisonous vipers were in hibernation during my stay in the mountain village of Chikaldara. Do you want Gods protection from bad relationships because you fear wolves in sheeps clothing? He leads me beside still waters. Dangers Seen and Unseen: God's Perfect Protection "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all ways." ~Psalm 91:11 Two incidents happened last month that reminded me of God's immeasurable and perfect protection. 146 One factor that must be taken into account in the study of the structure of Psalm 91 is the change in personal pronouns. 4 He will cover you with his wings. 14 Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. This can seem difficult to accept, given the state of the world, but it is true. It is His love and His power which keep us. If you say you have faith in Gods promise then you will be motivated to praise God for removing people that only wish you harm in your life. Now before he was taken he was commended as having pleased God. But within a few yards our petromax failed. When Christ ascended to the Father, He did not leave His followers without help. I should confess that I find the outline proposed by Kidner a very tempting alternative. This is the last word in terms of our safety. That is why Jesus spoke to Satan about not tempting God. Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Just imagine our plight! 4:11-13; 2 Tim. Thus he finds friends who praise and recommend him, and in the end the prince accepts him and confers an office upon him. She hopes to use her life and academic experience to empower & heal the hearts of women! Let your ears be attentive to the voice of my pleas for mercy! The promise of protection is stated in a figure of speech to emphasize the minute matters to which Gods care extends, but it is not meant to imply that toe-stubbing is never the lot of the saint. In verse 13 we observe the positive results of the safety that God provides through His angels. Biblical promises: There are over 30 verses in the Bible that confirm God will protect us from the evil one and dangers seen and unseen. Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed..