How to Find Rest in the Shadow of the Almighty
It’s hot here in the middle part of the U. S.
As I read the words of Psalm 91, the first verse grabbed my attention…
Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
Psalm 91:1
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
Every time I step outside right now, I do my best to stay in the shade out of the intense heat of direct sunlight. I find that my muscles relax and I can breathe more easily when I’m in the shade.
We can rest in the shadow of the Lord’s presence because He promises…
He will cover you with His feathers.
Psalm 91:4
He will shelter you with His wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
Yes, He covers, shelters, guards, and protects us but the enemy of our souls wants us to doubt God’s loving care and ability. So, he quoted the following words from this Psalm to tempt Jesus to question and test God’s promise…
He will order His angels to protect you wherever you go.
Psalm 91:12
They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
But Jesus used the “sword of the Spirit”, the Word of God (Ephesians 6:17) to stand against him.
“The Scriptures also say, ‘You must not test the Lord your God.’”
Matthew 4:7
The truth is, you and I can trust God to be our shelter in the heat of life’s battles. We’d like Him to remove every danger and disease but He doesn’t do that. He simply promises to be with us and give us what we need . . . a place of refuge where we can rest in His shadow. He also promises to give us what we need to stand strong against temptation when we surrender our lives to Him.
So we can trust His promises to send His angels to watch over us.
Scripture tells us that God’s…
Angels will guard us. (Psalm 91:11)
Angels are messengers. (Matthew 28:7–8)
Angels guide. (Exodus 32:34)
Angels are warriors. (Daniel 10:11–13)
Then there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and his angels. And the dragon lost the battle, and he and his angels were forced out of heaven. This great dragon—the ancient serpent called the devil, or Satan, the one deceiving the whole world—was thrown down to the earth with all his angels.
Revelation 12:7–9
May we always remember, the One who is with us and within us is greater than the “tempter” who was thrown down to earth . . . who tirelessly works to deceive us and get us to doubt our God. But because Jesus defeated this enemy of our souls we can declare with the writer of this Psalm…
This I declare about the Lord
Psalm 91:2
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
He is my God, and I trust Him.
Let’s pray…
A Prayer to Rest in the Shadow of the Almighty
Father God, I can get so restless and unsettled when battles heat up around me. Please forgive me for failing to run to You for shade and shelter more quickly. Your Word tells me that there are spiritual battles going on all over the world. The enemy and demons are working to defeat and discourage people as Your angels follow Your directions to guard, guide, and protect. Please forgive us for those times we allow ourselves to be distracted by doubt.
Father, my heart’s desire is to surrender myself completely to You. I believe that You are my Heavenly Father, that You sent Jesus the Messiah to save me, and the Spirit to teach me and guide me with Your truth. I believe I can rest in the shadow of Your loving care. I believe I can trust You to be my refuge and place of safety. I believe that You promise to rescue those who love You and protect those who place their trust in You. (Psalm 91:14)
I do love You, Lord. And with Your Spirit’s help, I will trust Your holy name now and forever. I believe You will protect my soul for all eternity. By Your grace, I give myself to You. Please help me live in ways that bring You glory. In Jesus’ precious name, I pray. Amen.
In the middle of all of the verses about God’s protection and care stand these two phrases…
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
Psalm 91:5–6
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
I don’t know about you but I’m guilty of giving in to fear and dread at times. I forget the words “do not” and get distracted by possible terrors and disasters.
But look at God’s promise…
When they call on me, I will answer;
Psalm 91:15–16
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”
So, let’s step into the shade where we can rest in the shadow of the Almighty and cling to His promises that say…
I will answer.
I will be with them.
I will rescue.
I will honor.
I will reward and give salvation.
Our Almighty God is a good and loving God. We can trust Him to keep His promises. Promises that give us the boldness to say…
He is my God, and I trust Him.
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This has become one of my favourite psalms. The most beautiful sung version of it is by Project of Love. Have you heard it?
I haven’t heard that version, Jenny. Thank you for telling me about it. I will check it out! Thanks for visiting and for stopping to say, “hi.” God bless you!
Amen, Deb! Yes, God is our strong protector, defender and champion. We can be confident when we trust His love and mercy in all circumstances.
Blessings!
Amen, Martha! Blessings and hugs!
Thank you again! There is so much comfort in this Psalm. Being in the shelter of God’s eternal love and care! There is no other shelter so secure! He is always there to comfort and protect us. And being honored by Him is to be truly blessed. And Yes! He is my God and I do indeed trust him.
I am so blessed by this post and all that you send out. I do pray for comfort and rest for you and Rev.
Thank you, Sue. I so very glad you were blessed and encouraged. Rev and I truly appreciate your prayers. Thanks and many blessings!
This is so beautiful! It is through God’s saving Grace that he will always be with us even the darkness of our lives. I trust that he will always be with us to protect, guide, comfort, and shelter us everywhere we are so long as we trust in him. That is why I make the sign of the cross every time I leave my house to remember God is with me and is going to bring me back home safely. At the end of the day say my nightly prayers to watch for us as we end our day.
Blessings to everyone May you have a wonderful day! ????
Thank you, Ana! I trust that He is all of those things to us as well. He is faithful to go with us wherever we are and His presence gives us peace. May the Lord bless you abundantly today and always.
AMEN ????????????????♥️AMEN ????????????????♥️Thank You FOR SHARING Deb ????❗️I LOVE ❤️ This Psalm ????????♥️ and The PROMISE it Contains. I Think Of It EVERYDAY when I feed the birds Outside And Find Feathers . GREAT ????????????????♥️Inspiration ❗️G-d♥️Bless
Thank you, Cheri! We are so very blessed by the Lord. He is a good Father. May you be blessed in countless ways!
Amen. Beautiful words that we need to take into our hearts.
Thank you! God bless you, Angela!