Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—the Most High, who is my refuge— ¹⁰no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. —Psalm 91:9-10
What struggles have beset you or your family recently? What trials or difficulties have come upon you? What pains have you experienced this year? Psalm 91:9-10 has much to say about these difficulties and how we should think and feel about them in relation to the great God we serve and worship.
Even in the midst of such difficulties, for those who make God their dwelling place, He will be their refuge. And, ultimately and finally, God will keep evil from befalling those who are His. This is all because of the power and sufficiency of His all-glorious Son, Jesus Christ, who took the punishment due to those who are His., "terror of the night" or "deadly pestilence."
Even in the midst of such difficulties, for those who make God their dwelling place, He will be their refuge. Ultimately and finally, God will keep evil from befalling those who are His. This is all because of the power and sufficiency of His all-glorious Son, Jesus Christ, who took the punishment due to those who are His.
The key for people to experience this comfort and reassurance is that they must make God their dwelling place. Comfort and peace don’t come simply from "thinking happy thoughts" or putting forth "positive energy." It is rooted and grounded in an objective being, God, the One the psalmist refers to as the Most High.
To make God your dwelling place means to chose Him—to turn to Him. The psalmist helps us see just that as he concludes this chapter by describing the person who makes God their dwelling place as one who holds fast to God in love, as one who calls to God, and as one who knows God’s name.
Are you clinging to God? Are you calling out to Him when the difficulties and trials of living in a fallen world come upon you? Do you know and are you trusting the Most High to be your refuge? If not, please turn to Him, the Creator and Sustainer of all things, and experience the comfort and blessing of knowing Him and living under His comforting shelter.
For Reflection
What can you do to deepen your trust in God as the Most High who will protect you? (Read Psalm 78 and see how the Israelites did this.)
How has God delivered you from calamities in the past?
What characteristics of God comfort your soul the most? Take some time to list them and how they provide comfort to you.