09 Jun Psalm 91 (Protecting your family in Dangerous Times) PART 7
Everything under the sun has a season to it (see Eccl. 3:1). However, God and His Word are permanent! The Bible tells us, “Thy Word O Lord is forever settled in Heaven” (Ps. 119:89). May I exhort you during this tumultuous time…anything attached to the earth will be shaken, but anyone attached to Heaven will be settled (see Heb. 12:25-28).
This season of Covid-19 will eventually come to an end but God’s Word is eternal, settled and unshaken… just like He wants us to be! One of the greatest anchors in the Word of God to steady us in a dangerous time is Psalm 91!
Over the last couple of months we have given you an outline of “Three Protection Points”:
- The Prerequisites of Protection (Ps. 91:1-2)
- The Promises of Protection (Ps. 91:3-16)
- The Practicalities of Protection (Luke 22:36)
Contained within the Prerequisites of Protection we looked at Psalm 91:1-2: “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God; in Him will I trust.”
From these verses we discovered four very simple words:
- Dwell
- Abide
- Say
- Trust
This is not something God will do for us! The Bible tells us in Proverbs 21:31, “The horse is prepared for battle, but victory is of the Lord.” Preparation is something we do. Victory is something God does. He won’t do our part, we can’t do His part! Remember this: Miracles occur where Divine orchestration meets human preparation. Remember this also: With every heavenly plan there must come earthly preparation!
If we will do the prerequisites of protection we can enjoy the promises of protection.
Psalm 91:3-16 goes on to tell us, “Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover you with his feathers, and under his wings shall you trust: his truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid for the terror by night; or for the arrow that flies by day; nor for the pestilence that walks in darkness; or for the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes will you behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, your habitation; There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come nigh your dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the dragon shall you trample under feet. Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him: I will set him on high, because he has known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.”
Last month we left off at verse six. This month let’s pick back up in verses seven and eight: “A thousand shall fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you behold and see the reward of the wicked.”
Think of this…11,000 people falling all around you but you are the one standing! I’ve actually had our congregation physically do this. I would pick one person out and ask everyone to stand up. On the count of three I asked everyone to quickly sit down, leaving only one person standing in the entire sanctuary. It is a very vivid picture of God’s protection. We have only about 2,300 active Joy team members so think how graphic it would be with 11,000 people!
I would like to bring up one very powerful point here. God’s idea of “near” (or nigh in the King James) and our idea of near are clearly two different things! One thousand at your side and 10,000 at your right hand are, to me, quite near! However, from God’s perspective it’s completely different. Remember this: Never let “near” cause you to fear! It would be very easy to simply look around you or on social media and see what’s happening to thousands, and allow fear to grip your soul. NO! Never let “near” cause you to fear!Those 11,000 people that have fallen all around you…they are your ministry! These are not people that we should smugly look at saying, “Look at me and my faith…I am still standing. You have fallen.” You are standing for a reason…to pick up those that have fallen all around you!