ABIDING UNDER A SHADOW

Psalm 91:-2-11

Today we are going to look at Psalm 91. It is beautiful poetry! Just reading it refreshes the soul. Just meditating upon it, strengthens the spirit. We do not know who wrote this psalm. Perhaps that is good. Now we can imagine some saint whom we know composed the words. Perhaps we could think it was our mother, or our father, or an older brother. Perhaps it was by our pastor or our mate. No matter, the words are deep and colorful. They reach to our very hearts. They give us faith to believe that our LORD cares for us. He strengthens us. He protects us.

This psalm was read at our son’s funeral. It was read by his brother, Richard. It was read with meaning. HE THAT DWELLETH IN THE SECRET PLACE OF THE MOST HIGH. . ." Where is that "secret place"? What is that "secret place"? As we continue the verse we see that if we are in the "secret place," we will "abide" or "dwell" or "live" under the "shadow" of THE ALMIGHTY! So we gather that the "secret place" is at the foot of the LORD God’s Throne. His "place" casts a shadow. We read in James 1:17 that THE FATHER OF LIGHTS gives good and perfect gifts. With him there is no change, nor even a shadow of turning. I take it that the "shadow" that is cast near THE ALMIGHTY never turns. He is always the same and His years never change Him.

What a place to hide! What a fortress in war! What a strength in weakness! Verse 2 says that the LORD is MY REFUGE! I think of the refugees who have escaped persecution, war, and ravaging. They flee from the enemy. They run and hide.

I remember our Liberian friends from West Africa. When the oppressing president sought to kill so many of his own people, thousands "ran" to other countries. We visited the JOAH’s in their REFUGEE CAMP in Sierra Leone. They escaped with very little–themselves and the clothes on their backs. They found a refuge in another country on an old, mud-pocked airplane runway.

To the believer, God is more than an airplane runway in a foreign country. He is GOD! We can run to HIM with our spiritual shoes and be safe. The second verse goes on to say that "GOD IS MY FORTRESS." This is very interesting. A FORTRESS is much different than a "refuge." Think about it. When you "run" to a "refuge," you are not thinking about going to war or even defending yourself from an enemy, you are thinking about "safety"–an escape, a "hiding place."

But when we contemplate what a "FORTRESS" is, we think of war–at least preparation for war. When people protect themselves from a pursuing enemy, they surround themselves with a wall, a fort. In the olden days, the taller and thicker the wall, the greater the protection. So when the enemy comes with darts and arrows, with battering rams, and cannon balls, the wall is stronger than they are. It is a FORTRESS against all evil. That is what the LORD was to the writer of Psalm 91; and that is what HE is to you and me, if we are His child. Think about it!

To top it off with an added protection, verse 11 says "HE SHALL GIVE HIS ANGELS CHARGE OVER THEE, TO KEEP THEE IN ALL THY WAYS!" What more protection does the child of God need? (ysw)

"MY CHAIN"