Psalm 91

I speak often of my pups, my hounds, my babies…Nikos and Pan Dulce. They are my bundles of unconditional snuggling love wrapped up in little long-haired Chihuahuas. As I write this they are curled up next me so close I have to lift my right elbow up as I type so I don’t bonk them on their heads. The only thing keeping them off of me is the lap desk on which my laptop sits. They sleep with me, too, and Pan’s favorite spot is right under my arm. He often lays his head on my body as if right next to me wasn’t close enough.

This morning I first woke at 2:30. Ekk! I stayed in bed trying to go back to sleep in vain till 3:30. It was no use to try to sleep, my brain had shifted gears and no amount of coaxing made any difference. I turned on the lamp, pulled on something warmer, and found my house shoes. Still, not one wiggle from under the covers, so I called to the pups to wake them up. My bed is too high for them to jump down. They can but their thin little legs shouldn’t and I was afraid to leave them sleeping while I was in the other room. Out to potty they went and up on the couch right under my arm once back in. I am like a mother hen with her chicks. All is well in their world!  

Psalm 91 calls for us to take shelter in the Lord. It assures us that God will protect us from danger (Psalm 91:1-13). In verses 3 and 4, it features the metaphors of a mother bird and of metal armor as it details the fullness of His power and presence.

Commenting on these verses, a Bible teacher once wrote, “The mother bird safely tucks her young under her wings. There they are secure. There is a very tender touch here, stressing the warmth of God’s love and concern. Not only is there a tenderness in God’s care, there is also a toughness, as is seen in the imagery of the metal armor.” What a wonderful promise from the Lord! Nikos and Pan trust me to be their refuge but we have much more in God.

Psalm 91 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

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. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges 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. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”