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You who sit down in the High God's presence, spend the night in Shaddai's shadow, Say this: "God, you're my refuge. I trust in you and I'm safe!" Yes, because God's your refuge, the High God your very own home, Evil can't get close to you, harm can't get through the door. He ordered his angels to guard you wherever you go. If you stumble, they'll catch you; their job is to keep you from falling. You'll walk unharmed among lions and snakes, and kick young lions and serpents from the path. "If you'll hold on to me for dear life," says God, "I'll get you out of any trouble. I'll give you the best of care if you'll only get to know and trust me. Call me and I'll answer, be at your side in bad times; I'll rescue you, then throw you a party. I'll give you a long life, give you a long drink of salvation!" (Psalm 91:(1-2), 9-16) The Message
Those who know and love the Lord know the truth of this psalm. Written by one who did sit in God's presence and one who loved to stay in God's shadow, knew the power and protection of God. It was natural for the writer to say, "God, you're my refuge. I trust in You and I'm safe!" I remember with great fondness the developmental stages of my children, especially their learning to crawl. They would be on a blanket and they would raise up on their little arms, then their knees and once they started to crawl, they would look around to make sure either Mom or Dad was watching them, smile or giggle, and get near to the edge of the blanket. The trick for them was to decide if stepping off the blanket was safe. They would try it with a hand and then put weight on that hand, and again, would look back to make sure they were not alone, smile and laugh, and off the blanket and down the hallways they would go. Then teaching them to cross the street reminded me of how safe I felt holding my mother or father's hand. We would look both ways, but completely trust our parents for making the dangerous trek across the street. Again, those who know and love the Lord know the truth of this psalm. How powerful to read that neither harm nor evil can come close to us or get through the door. God's angels have been ordered to keep watch over us, to keep us from stumbling or falling. God's promise is to bless us with life and protection come what may. And when the challenge is over, God says a party is ours, long life, and a long drink of salvation!
What more could we want?
PRAYER: Loving God, grant to us the promises of this psalm. Let us love you more and walk with you always to feel the warmth of your presence and strength. Keep us on the path, prevent us from stumbling or falling; grant to us long life, and that long drink of salvation. In Jesus we pray, amen.
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord!
Eradio Valverde
