Sunday, August 5, 2018

Dwelling in the Shelter of the Lord Most High: A Psalm of Protection

Today's Reading:
  • Psalm 90
  • Psalm 91
Read Bible Passages Online

Psalm 90
My study bible states that this Psalm is a prayer from Moses, the great leader and godly man who led the Israelites out of Egypt. Moses starts the prayer by proclaiming the eternal nature of the Lord and emphasizing that the Lord created the entire earth (90:1-2). It seems that the people were under God's wrath at the time this psalm was written, for Moses cries out for the Lord to turn away from his anger and to come back to His people (90:13).

This psalm talks a lot about the brevity of life. Moses realizes that the length of the human life is minuscule to God when compared to His everlasting nature (90:10-12). Moses says that, to the Lord, a thousand years is like a day (90:4). So when we consider that, how long are our 70-90 years, really? Moses prays that people would understand the brevity of life and that we would live our lives according to the Lord, instead of the suffering that is caused by our sins. Moses says that those who walk in the Lord's unfailing love will sing for joy at the end of our lives (90:14), instead of those that live under the Lord's wrath, caused by sin, who end their lives with a groan (90:9). I pray that I continue to walk in the Lord's path, so that I might live my life through to the end with triumphant praise and joy in my heart.

Psalm 91
Psalm 91 is one of my favorite psalms. This is a very powerful psalm that speaks to the protection the Lord extends to his followers. This psalm tells us not to be afraid of anything, for the Lord's hand is always on us. Even if 10,000 are dying beside you, those who trust in the Lord will be safe (91:7).

There are so many awesome declarations of the many ways in which the Lord will protect those who trust in him. Every verse of this psalm is powerful, and I encourage everyone to go read it themselves and take it to heart. In fact, so many people declare this psalm when they are facing troubles. The problem is that this psalm comes with a precondition that most people skip right over. This precondition is the very first verse of Psalm 91. It reads like this (NLT version):

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty

Notice I have underlined the word "live". The precondition on this psalm is that we must already reside very closely with the Lord for all these protections to apply to us! Verse 91:14 tells us that the Lord rescues those who love him, and protects those who trust him, and verse 91:15 says that the Lord will answer when we call on Him. I believe that is very true. The Lord, in his infinite grace, continues to answer our cries, even when we have distanced ourselves far from Him.  Too often, once the cry for help has been answered, we turn our back and/or distance ourselves from Him once more.

To obtain the truly powerful continuous umbrella of protection from the Lord, one must live in the shelter of the Lord Most High. We must keep ourselves close and dwell in the holy of holies -- that secret place that you cannot enter until you have cleansed yourself of all wrong doing and resolved to live hand-in-hand with the Lord, constantly trusting in Him - versus suddenly trusting in Him when you need help, and when it might already be too late.

Again, the Lord is wonderful and gracious. He hears us when we cry, He is sympathetic to us.  I don't believe that He is like humans - refusing to validate a person's feelings because we believe they brought something upon themselves. The nature of the Lord is not like that. Because of this grace and understanding, the Lord does come to our rescue, even if we've been far away from Him. I just want to stress that to get that ultimate, powerhouse protection that is detailed in Psalm 91, you need to dwell constantly underneath the Lord's shelter. Then you will see the fullness of the Lord's amazing, powerful, awesome umbrella of protection on your lives.

Once again, the Lord is gracious ... so gracious. If you've slipped out of that shelter, the Lord will allow you back in as quick as you move to put yourself back in there. Slip in there before the tribulations of the world hit you, and you will be truly prepared to withstand anything, for the Lord will withstand it for you.

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