Psalm 91 - The Shelter
Psalm 91 - The Shelter
Over the past number of weeks (now running into months) a particular word has cropped up in conversation as I have spoken with different people out of Ballyhenry. It’s the word ‘family’, and it’s a word that people have used to me to describe church, church as a family. One of the lovely things about being part of a ‘church family’ is that you get to do life alongside a whole variety of people, people of different ages and people with a rich diversity of experiences of life and of God.
A number of weeks ago I was ringing round some of our older members and I was speaking to one lady who is over 90 years old. We were chatting about what life has looked like since March and the challenges it has brought. Then she said this: ‘I just keep reading Psalm 91 and I feel uplifted by that.’
Psalm 91 is a very uplifting Psalm, a very reassuring Psalm. It speaks of someone who has settled themselves, amidst the noise and stress of life, to find ‘rest in the shadow of the Almighty’, someone who has pitched their tent in ‘the shelter of the Most High’.
When I talk to someone like that older member of our church family I see a resilience that comes from knowing God and having walked with Him through many seasons and many circumstances, someone whose life is resting on God’s promises:
‘Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare …
He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you will find refuge …
You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day.’
Psalm 91 is written in a context where there is a ‘deadly pestilence’ (vs 3) stalking people’s lives, an ever-present threat. We know enough from the stories of the Bible to know that Christians are not immune from such things. God’s promise of protection (vs 14) is not an insurance policy nor a vaccine against things that may not harm us. The person of faith knows this, but they also know God. ‘We’re under His wing’ my elderly friend said as our phone call came to an end. For her that has been enough, enough for the past ninety years, and enough for the weeks to come.
Prayer: Father thank you that we can find rest in the shadow of your wings. Thank you that you are my refuge and my fortress. In you I place my trust.