Image from appalachianmagazine.com
You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.’ Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling-place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot. Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation. (Psalm 91: 1-2, 9-16)
Happy Thursday, dear Friend! There's always been something about the picture above that has caught my attention from the first time I saw to this morning when I chose it to be the graphic for this devotional. The artist, who is now completely unknown was inspired by this passage. He broke with tradition of similar paintings of children near high cliffs or dangerous peaks of mountains and instead show a less-than-secure bridge over some rapid running water and painted a sister and brother crossing the bridge with a guardian angel protecting their way. Interestingly enough, this was intended for a Roman Catholic European audience, but the picture caught on in the Appalachian region, where many a homestead depended on a broken-down bridge to get to their home, with the threat of flooding always present. The picture is appropriate in our area given the heavy rains we have experienced these past few days!
The psalmist loved the Lord God and had a super relationship with Him. He came to see God as his hiding place, the place very similar to a fortress and a refuge, because David's trust in God never failed. Just this past week, a dear friend who writes a weekly thought email, spoke of an old refrigerator box that became his clubhouse. Entry into this secure place required a password, and that was the title of his devotional thought. I replied back saying that as a small town boy, one of my friends discovered what we long thought to be an underground butane tank on this abandoned lot near our creek. He cleaned it out, swept it as best he could, and then found some big boxes to tear into what he called sofas. He then brought his comic book collection, a candle, and a flashlight, and viola we had our own clubhouse of sorts. We didn't need a password because nobody really knew where this exotic hiding place was! It was our refuge and shelter from the annoyances of younger siblings or friends we didn't want to see. As you can imagine, one day he left the candle on and a fire broke out in our hiding place taking up in smoke his prized comic book collection. It would be years later as I reflected on that place, that our underground butane tank may have indeed be a place of not refuge, but refuse, namely a septic tank!
Our spiritual lives should trust in the Lord so much that all of what David wrote is true for us. We can dwell with the Lord, trusting that no evil shall befall us; no scourge will come near us; and God indeed has commanded His angels to guard us in all our ways, if we so invite Him to do. Angels will hold us up when we are weak. Remember Jesus' last day of His Temptation? He was challenged by this passage by Satan, and one version has Jesus ministered to by angels after the devil left Him. It does involve as the verse says, "When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them." We have to, but ask! And right before that verse it says we should love God, and God will deliver us from trouble.
I pray that whatever rickety old bridge your life has brought to your feet, you will safely cross it knowing that like these two children, your guardian angel is watching and protecting you. You have to just call on the Lord, and He will respond.
PRAYER: Loving Father, You are so awesome! Your love and care for us goes beyond measure. We are thankful for the inspiration of Your Spirit upon David as he wrote this beautiful and powerful psalm. We call upon You to safely guide our steps through the bridges that have come our way. Some seem so shaky and brittle that with any wrong movement we can fall into worse situations, but we trust You and invite You to be a part of our lives and the lives of those whom we love. Bless this dear reader and his/her life. Guide and protect them - in Jesus' name we pray, amen!
Have a great and blessed day in the Lord! Who knows, you may just be the bridge someone needs to cross their bridge!
Eradio Valverde
