“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!”
That’s right—he rescues you from hidden traps,
shields you from deadly hazards.
His huge outstretched arms protect you—
under them you’re perfectly safe;
his arms fend off all harm.
Fear nothing—not wild wolves in the night,
not flying arrows in the day,
Not disease that prowls through the darkness,
not disaster that erupts at high noon.
Even though others succumb all around,
drop like flies right and left,
no harm will even graze you.
You’ll stand untouched, watch it all from a distance,
watch the wicked turn into corpses.
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, The Message
Today and tomorrow we have a treat. Jenny Schut, author of the book Waking Up Grey, meditates on how dwelling in the safety of God’s presence frees us to risk living creatively.
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 am safe!” – The Message
I decided to treat myself by meditating on the 91st Psalm this morning. As I read the entire Psalm, I felt the Lord saying that I needed to sit in this scripture for a while, slowly sipping and savoring for the next several days. After reading the entire passage a few times, I kept going back to the first two verses. This is where we always come back to because it is always where God brings us – back into His presence.
Most of Psalm 91 gives one an idea of what the world is like and it is dangerous! According to this passage, there are all kinds of traps, snares and hardships. These are very real, raging dangers and we are not human if we are not afraid. But the first truth we encounter in this passage is the “High God’s presence”, which brings a healing safehaven for those who linger there. This first truth supercedes and transcends the second truth of a world laced with danger.
I am coming to understand that the Presence of God informs my perspective of life events and my life’s work. If we are with God in intimate ways, this relations speaks into all others. “Being” with God enables us to trust deeply in Him and have a sense of well-being and safety; this is regardless of the danger swirling around in our world.
Tune in tomorrow to view and read about the beautiful work that emerged from Jennie’s sense of safety in Shaddai’s shadow.
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