Psalms 91 - The Lord Has Us - Day 2

Ties Of Grace Daily Devotions

Week 1:  Psalms 91 ---   The Lord Has Us!

Day 2:  Psalms 91:2-8

Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
⁵ You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
⁶ nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
⁷ A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
⁸ You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.

Read those verses again.  In all honesty, who really believes that nothing harmful will come near if we trust in God?  You know the kind of belief that removes fear?  I think in our raw, human flesh, fear is one of the most difficult areas of weakness to conquer.  God gave us our emotions.  They run through us strong.  And fear seems to be the mother of all emotions to overcome.  All of us have something that is our weak point. Some are afraid of being alone.  Some are afraid of illness.  Some are afraid about their children.  Each of us has something that grips our flesh and holds on with vengeance.  And then I don’t know about everyone else, but sometimes I feel like the punishment of the wicked never comes.  It’s easy in our flesh to feel like these verses hold some empty promises in our own lives. Maybe they ring true for others, but for personal proof, we may struggle a bit.  But when I dig down into these verses and really dwell on them and in their assurances, God begins to open my memory bank.  I find myself looking back at my alters of remembrance God has given me and asked me to never forget. When I begin to look back at where I have been with God, the whole view changes. Suddenly, I remember and I know the promises are true because there have been many times in my life where on my own accord, I would have been snatched up and away by the fowler’s snare!  My own sinful choices alone would have doomed me, not to mention the strategic attacks from the enemy in so many ways, hitting right at my most fearful points.  When I look back, I know without a doubt, these verses are true, for Satan has not won.  His aggression has been thick, but he has never found victory.  I have been saved!  I have been saved from myself and from the fowler’s snare.  By seeking refuge in the Most High, I am protected from the temptations of Satan and I am guarded beyond what I can comprehend from danger.  I may not feel it when the fire is all around me, but I can know, from where I have already come, that no matter what tricks Satan tries to play on my mind, my heart knows and hears of the truth.  I am like a baby bird under my Father’s massive wings.  I read an article once about a forest fire.  A fireman found a bird charred and stiff on the ground. He found it so strange as a bird could fly to freedom.  When he tapped the bird with a large stick, little baby birds came running out.  That bird had hovered low and taken the fire so that those baby birds, too small to fly, would survive.  What a beautiful testament to how it is with our Father.  And because I have hovered under His wings, because I am now, it is true that I am desperate to share of Him with all that I can.  It is just too dangerous without Him.  The enemy is near and ready to snatch us into his lowly snare.  But God is mighty and our refuge.  I am running to Him.  What about you?  What is keeping you fully from Him?  Is it doubt? Anger? Fear itself?  Ask yourself, is being outside of God’s wings of refuge really worth the risk?  Why not run to Him…. Whether for the first time or again?  He is waiting!  Are you running?