Let Psalm 91 melt your fear & anxiety.
Psalm 91 (NIV)
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 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.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
Canons of Dordt
Point 1 - God's Unconditional Election
Articles 1-8
Article 9 - Election Not Based on Foreseen Faith
Your election took place,
not
on the basis of foreseen faith,
of the obedience of faith, of holiness, or of any other good quality and disposition,
as though it were based on a prerequisite cause
or condition in the person to be chosen,
but rather, your election took place
for the purpose of faith, of the obedience of faith, of holiness, and so on.
Accordingly, election is the source of every saving good.
Faith, holiness, and the other saving gifts, and at last eternal life itself, flow forth from election as its fruits and effects.
Summary
One of the key things to understand about God is that He is both transcendent (He has power and control over all things) and immanent (He remains near to His creation, especially His image bearers). As we spend this year learning that God's grace is stronger than we are, we'll often find ourselves focusing more on God's transcendence - His sovereign role in our salvation.
This week's Psalm helps us maintain tensegrity (the integrity that results from keeping theology in tension) in our doctrine of God. It certainly showcases God's transcendence: He is our refuge and fortress and He will command His angels. God's power and control is so great that you will not fear terror, arrows, pestilence, plagues. The battles that rage all around you, from which tens of thousands fall, will not come near you because your sovereign, all powerful Father is in control.
But even more so, Psalm 91 gives us a needed dose of God's immanence. After all, He is not just a refuge and fortress, but He is my refuge and fortress. We read of Him covering you with His feathers. He will answer you when you call on Him, and He will be with you in trouble.
Dig Deeper
Verse 14 kind of sticks out like a sore thumb in the midst of our concentration on God's unconditional election these last few weeks:
14 “Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
It seems to proclaim the opposite of what we've been learning, as if God extends providential grace to a person because that person loves Him.
A sixteenth century reformer named Wolfgang Musculus (that has to be one of the coolest names ever!) helps us make sense of this:
God does not say, Because he is without sin, because he has perfectly kept all my precepts, because he has merit and is worthy to be delivered and guarded. But God produces those qualities which are even found in the weak, the imperfect, and those still exposed to sin in the flesh.
In other words, God protects and delivers not because of our perfection or worthiness, but because of the qualities He produces even in weak and imperfect people - people just like us.
ACKNOWLEDGE WHO GOD IS: Our Father, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust;
ALIGN YOUR LIFE WITH GOD'S WILL: Pray that you will dwell in the shelter of the Most High and rest in the shadow of the Almighty;
ASK GOD FOR WHAT YOU NEED:
Read the New Testament in a year! Today: Acts 27
