With her infant brother on her hip and one small bag, 12-year-old Ariana carried all she had through the Darién Gap, a dangerous 60-mile roadless jungle crossing between Columbia and Panama. This treacherous route, often used by migrants seeking to come to the United States, is notorious for its harsh terrain, unpredictable weather, dangerous wildlife, and the presence of criminal groups. Ariana's world had recently come crumbling down upon her when her family was forced from their war-torn country. She had lost everything she'd ever known; now her parents were severely injured by the criminal group Clan Del Golfo, leaving them no longer able to continue; they had to be left behind, insistent that Ariana complete the task of freedom they started back in their own country. Ariana knew she needed to make it to Bajo Chiquito, a small village outside the Darién gap for those seeking refuge, to a couple who would help her complete the journey.
Ariana's mind wandered to happier times, laughing with her parents. She could see the sun shining through her mother's hair, still feel her warm embrace, and hear her dad's contagious laugh. All she had were her memories of better times and the love she shared with her parents. She was now alone, left to be the protector of her brother. Suddenly, bullets started flying all around her; crazed men were firing their rifles and shouting. With tears streaming down her face and her heart pounding, she lets out a scream. From memory, Ariana cries out the verse from the Bible her father read to her at bedtime, "Lord, you are my refuge, my God, I trust You. You will save me, rescue me, protect me. Lord, deliver me. Save my life! Jesus!!!"
The verse that Ariana cited in the story is Psalm 91. Some Jewish scholars believe Moses wrote it, although some disagree. The theme in Psalm 91 is that of God's protection from danger. It also has a rich historical context that adds a layer of significance to the Psalm, making it more than just a comforting prayer. Interestingly, it has become known as the Soldier's Psalm.* A commander gave it to soldiers during WWI, who instructed them to read it daily. Despite being involved in the bloodiest battles, the soldiers experienced no casualties. It is now read in more recent times by American soldiers in Iraq, churches, and households all over the world. It is a Psalm that provides profound comfort and unwavering strength in the face of adversity, a powerful reminder that God is our ultimate protector and refuge. For myself, this Psalm has become near and dear to my heart as I read it on behalf of my family for their protection.
From the NIV translation, Psalm 91 in its entirety:
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."
Psalm 91 begins with, "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." Most High and Almighty refer to God, representing His power and authority over all creation, not only in the spiritual realm but all the earth and universe. There is absolutely nothing higher than God. He has unlimited sovereign power to accomplish His good will. This verse says that as we dwell in God, putting our faith in Him, He is our consistent place of refuge, protection, and safety. There is nothing He will not do for and through us to accomplish His good purpose. Rest in the shadow of the Almighty: God's shadow is a place of power where we can dwell in Him for His protection, deliverance, care, and comfort. He is our refuge and fortress, and as we actively trust in Him, we can rest in His steadfast strength and protective guidance.
Skipping verse 4 momentarily, verses 3, 5, 6, 7, and 8 list some harmful things that can happen to us. "Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence. 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." To put the terms in more present-day language to help you understand the passage more clearly, fowler's snare could be interpreted as wicked individuals who seek to entrap others. The terror of night is our fear and anxiety. Arrows that fly by day could be acts of violence, wars, or other conflicts. The pestilence that stalks in the darkness can be seen as COVID or other deadly diseases. Plague that destroys at midday can be things such as wars, terrorist attacks, shootings, and car accidents. A thousand may fall at our side can be seen as deaths in times of war, natural disasters, illnesses, or other deadly diseases again. If you notice the verses, they list the bad things that could happen, but they also list what God will do: He will save you, that you won't fear, and it won't come near you: He's saving, delivering, and protecting you from the harm. Continuing, vs.8 says, "We will only observe with our eyes and see the punishment of the wicked." This verse means we won't be harmed when the justice of God is carried out against the wicked.
Returning to verse 4, "He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart." The imagery of being covered by His feathers and finding refuge under His wings is like that of a mother bird protecting her young with its wings; it illustrates His loving care. While we are alive, harmful things will happen; we are not immune to all danger. Yet God is our refuge. He will keep us close to Him in His protective care. His faithfulness is our shield, and rampart illustrates the defense He gives us against life's dangers.
Now to the "if," as seen in vs. 9. Other versions say "because or for you." Vs. 9-10: "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." The verse is conditional and suggests that a condition must be met to trigger God's protection from harm or disaster. You must actively believe that the Lord is your refuge because having faith and trusting the Lord is essential to having God's protection.
There are 8,810 promises in the Bible. Nine of many promises made by God to man are found in Psalm 91, and we will be looking at those.
They include:
1. I WILL LIFT YOU UP IN MY HANDS vs 12
2. I WILL RESCUE HIM vs 14
3. I WILL PROTECT HIM vs 14
4. I WILL ANSWER HIM vs 15
5. I WILL BE WITH HIM IN TROUBLE vs 15
6. I WILL DELIVER HIM vs 15
7. I WILL HONOR HIM vs 15
8. WITH LONG LIFE I WILL SATISFY HIM vs 16
9. SHOW HIM MY SALVATION vs 16
Vs. 11-14 "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." The present-day examples of the lion, cobra, and serpent could be any evil, affliction, disease, calamity, or anything that takes our eyes off God. The Bible mentions Satan prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour. But God has given us tools to combat against the enemy, such as reading God's word and prayer. When Psalm 91 is read, the angels of God hear it and are commanded to guard those who love God and acknowledge Him, thus keeping us from danger. God lifts us up in His hands to rescue, protect, and deliver us.
Vs.15 says, "He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him." God is Omnipotent, meaning He has unlimited power, authority, and dominion over everything. There is nothing that God can't do. He is Omnipresent, meaning He is always with us, no matter where we are or where we go, even in times of trouble. He will answer us in our time of need and deliver us from trouble.
Verse 15 also mentions that God will honor us. There are many ways we can honor God. To name a few, we can keep Him 1st place in our hearts, choose to live righteously, give of our time, help those in need, keep our thoughts on God's goodness, and through our righteous words. We should do these things to honor God and show Him our love. But verse 15 says that He honors us. One of the ways God honors us is by showing His goodness to and through us. He wants to be good to us. Numbers 6:24-26 says, "The Lord bless you and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace." 2 Corinthians 9:8 says, "And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work." These two verses say that He is always looking at you with love. He is proud of you and wants to be gracious to and bless you abundantly so that you will be abundant in His plans and purpose. He is honoring us: He will open doors that we tried so hard in our own strength but couldn't; help us to accomplish the dream that we thought was dead; He'll heal us when the doctors say there is no way. He will amaze us with His explosive blessings, showing His love in a great and unusual way that there will be no doubt that it was the hand of God. Don't doubt that His favor is in your life; it is. You have the favor of God.
In the last verse, verse 16, "and with long life, I will satisfy and He will see His salvation." The verse promises a long life, which doesn't necessarily mean age-related, but a life lived in God's presence in His love, favor, peace, and blessings. Even though it doesn't clearly state it, the verse can also promise eternal life with Him because it also promises we will see His salvation: salvation coming through the death and resurrection of His Son Jesus. Jesus, who was blameless, died on the cross for our sins so that we might have a close and loving relationship with God, who has forgiven us and put us in right standing with Him once again because of Jesus's redeeming work.
A frequently asked question is, "How can we trust in Psalm 91 if bad things happen?" Many people don't want to trust in an evil God that allows bad things to happen. I don't blame them, neither do I. The Bible says evil does not come from God because He is good and knows no evil. Bad things come from Satan. We live in a fallen world. Evil entered the world through the disobedience of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, which can be found in Genesis 3. Someday, all evil will be banished, but in the meantime, God has given us tools to overcome evil when faced with it, and He will be present with us. Because God is so much bigger than all of the evils of this world, He can turn things around in a second if He wants to, and God does want to, but sometimes bad things happen: He doesn't prevent all evil. And nobody fully knows why this is true. Because He's God, He is the creator of the universe, and if God can create the universe from nothing, He can certainly stop all of the evils and bad things in this world. But God doesn't always.
I, too, have experienced tragedy. I'll never understand how bad things can happen to God-fearing people, pastors, kids, and just really good people. This world sucks and isn't fair. We are at war. We live in an evil, fallen world where there is so much sin, disease, corruption, and ugliness. What you read about or hear on the news is so amazingly heartbreaking. I won't cover my eyes and ears and try to pretend bad things don't happen. They do, and it will continue. However, I would rather pray things such as Psalm 91 and trust in God, trusting that He's got my family and me under His wings and have the faith He does, than not pray and leave them without lifting them up in prayer. At least I did something: I did my part in keeping my family safe. What else is there to do? Prayer is the best thing anyone can do. People often say, well, all there is left to do is pray. Prayer is the 1st thing we should do not only when there is a problem, but we should routinely be in the habit of prayer. We should be on our knees, hands raised in humble submission before Him. The alternative? You don't pray. I will choose to pray because I have been a Christ follower for a long time and have seen enough evidence that prayer works. Even if you don't have a close relationship with God, that doesn't matter; start somewhere. Pray.
If you don't have a relationship with God and have never received God into your heart, pray this simple prayer, "Heavenly Father, I believe that you are the Son of God and that Jesus died for my sins. I give you my heart, forgive my sins, and fill me with your Holy Spirit. In Jesus' name, guide and help me to follow you." If you have prayed this prayer for the first time, I encourage you to join a quality bible-based church in your area. Introduce yourself. I promise you, you won't regret it.
There are so many excellent testimonies of Psalm 91. Here is one of them.
*(n.d.). Soldier's Psalm. Military Christian Fellowship of Australia. https://mcf-a.org.au/articles/the-soldiers-psalm/
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