Psalm 91:1-16 In Him I Trust
Our psalmist sings of the rewards and comfort of the one who trust in God. He is sheltered all around. No circumstances can take him from God’s hand.
This psalm is one that Satan quotes from when he is confronting Jesus in the wilderness. Yes, Satan knows scripture too but he DOESN’T share the truths behind God’s promises, or he tries to change them to suit his purposes.
If we were to take this psalm at face value it would appear that NOTHING bad ever happens to those who serve God and they would NEVER have ANY problems. This is NOT how it works. Look at Jesus’ life. His alone shows us that even God’s own Son had issues. He rebuked most all things but He also had to deal with rejection from those He came to save along with WILLINGLY enduring the cross and all that went with it. Jesus also told His disciples that they would have trouble in the world. An examination of their lives shows this to be true. It was NOT all roses and sunshine.
What God’s people ARE protected from are the eternal consequences that someone without Him suffer. We DON’T have to be afraid of these issues. Like the Hebrew children before the fiery furnace, “If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king” (Daniel 3:17). They KNEW their God was able to protect them, but IF He chose not to save them bodily from the furnace, their spirits were SAFE with Him.
These three men were prisoners in a foreign land. They were slaves to the people of Babylon but they were NOT chained in their spirits. They saw God’s hand as perfect on their lives, no matter what the outcome. They trusted in Him without reservation.
In Egypt, the first group of plagues were visited on Egypt AND Israel. After a time God separated the treatment of His people from that of the Egyptians but the final plague was for ALL who refused to follow His direction with the blood. ANY of the Israelites who ignored His words would have had the destroyer visit them as surely as the Egyptians did.
This psalm to me speaks more of where my trust is than where my circumstances are. When my trust is wholly in Him my circumstances don’t rule me. I am SAFE in His arms. My “dwelling place” is in His arms and NOTHING can pry me from them!
That doesn’t mean that things don’t ‘hurt’ when they happen. Paul and Silas felt the beating they received before being thrown into jail. They CHOSE to focus beyond it. They focused on their Lord and Savior instead and He delivered them!
We live in a fallen world and there WILL be problems in it. There will be earthquakes, famine, flood, pestilence and all kinds of evil man can devise. But our God is BIGGER than ALL these things. He is able to keep us safe in His hand, no matter what. If that involves taking us out of this world, so be it. If it involves erecting a canopy of protection over us while still in it, so be that too. If it involves us slogging through the muck and mire while still clinging to His hand, so be that too. He is able to sustain us in EVERY situation. Even Jesus was hungry when Satan approached Him after fasting 40 days but He chose to cling to His Father’s hand instead of letting the cares of the world overcome Him.
Father God, THANK YOU that in EVERY situation I am Your child. I KNOW that I can trust You with my circumstances. You know my future. You know what lies ahead and You know what it is going to take for me to walk through it. The MOST important ‘thing’ I need is faith in You. Thank You for growing that in my life by walking me through the little steps first. Thank You for the examples You placed in Your word for me to cling to. Thank You too for removing the ‘rose colored glasses’ from my eyes. For teaching me that, just because something bad happens, it doesn’t mean that I’m at fault or my faith isn’t ‘strong’ enough. I trust You NO MATTER WHAT.
I also know that things are NOT going to be perfect for this world until Jesus steps down onto it to rule. I don’t know how much worse things will get before You bring me home with You or even if there will be a lull in the middle before that final day. I trust You have it ALL in Your hands Father. And I wait expectantly while still walking hand in hand with You each day. THANK YOU for my eternal safety. Of that I’m certain. I will trust in You!
