November Gratitude Stone 28 Protection
Psalm 91
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.
13You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14Because 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.
Ps. 5:11
But let all who take refuge in you be glad;
let them ever sing for joy.
Spread your protection over them,
that those who love your name may rejoice in you.
My stone of help and remembrance is God’s protection. The word pictures include things that David and others in Bible times understood. God covering with His feathers, shading under the shadow of His wings, and holding in the hollow of his hand. Since God does not have wings the meaning is symbolic, and while I suppose it references more than one image, I am convinced that the reference is to the secret place of the Most High, which was the Holy of Holies. The Shadow of the Almighty would then refer to the wings of the cherubim on the mercy seat. Because of what Jesus did on the cross, he made a way into the presence of God and now He made it possible for me to dwell there everyday and not just once a year!
There is no safer place than living in the presence of God! It is in that holy place that He offers protection; Not protection from life, from trials, from pain, but rather IN life, IN trials, and IN His will. He offers protection during the storms of life; it is where we are safest. I don’t mean to say that we go there to hide from trouble, but I do mean we go to hide IN God as our only refuge from the storm, and IN Him we find help and and strength.
The place of satisfaction is the secret place of the Most High. It is here that God preserves his people, keeps us by his power, as the apple of his eye, and is a wall of fire round about us.
The Lord is our sure, eternal and good protector, which is a good reason why I should rejoice and shout for joy!
Lord, thank you for allowing me to find refuge and protection in your presence and for letting me live there!