Under His Wings: Psalm 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

Dwelling place again. Shelter. Shadow. The Most High. The Almighty. Four names for God in two lines. The one who makes God his home finds rest in God's protection.

I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.

Personal declaration. I will say. The commitment to confess, to affirm, to stake a claim. Refuge. Fortress. My God. Trust.

Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.

The dangers begin. Fowler's snare—the hunter's trap, hidden, deadly. Pestilence—disease, plague, contagion. From both: salvation.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

Feathers. Wings. The mother bird gathering chicks. Tender protection. Warm shelter. And faithfulness as military defense: shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.

Night terror. Day arrow. Fears nocturnal and diurnal. Neither will produce fear. The dweller in God's shelter sleeps soundly and walks confidently.

Nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

Pestilence stalking. Plague destroying. Invisible threats in darkness, visible catastrophe at noon. Neither touches the sheltered.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

Staggering numbers. Thousands falling. Ten thousands collapsing. The dweller stands while armies perish. It will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

Witness, not victim. Eyes observing judgment on the wicked from a place of safety.

If you say, The Lord is my refuge, and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.

The condition. If you say. If you make. The promise follows the choice. No harm. No disaster. The tent—the fragile dwelling—becomes impervious.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

Angelic deployment. God commands. Angels obey. You are the object of their guarding. All your ways covered.

They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

Satan would quote this verse to Jesus in the wilderness—misusing protection promises. But the promise is real: angelic care preventing even stumbling.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

Dominion over predators. Lion and cobra—dangerous beasts and venomous snakes. Treading. Trampling. The enemy under feet.

Because he loves me, says the Lord, I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

God speaks. The motivation: because he loves me. The promise: rescue, protection. The condition: acknowledging my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

Call and answer. Presence in trouble. Deliverance from trouble. Honor after trouble. The relationship plays out.

With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.

Long life—satisfaction. Salvation—revealed. The sheltered one lives fully and sees God's saving work.

The psalm of protection. Satan misused it; believers claim it. The promise is not immunity from all trouble but divine presence in all danger. The shelter is real. The wings are spread. The fortress stands.