SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY Psalm 91:1-16 First Presbyterian ...

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Even Jesus uses the imagery when he grieves over Jerusalem: “ Jerusalem,
Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to
it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen
gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!” (Luke 13:34).
This psalm is about God’s ongoing care for us. God provides shelter, a home
that provides comfort. God provides the shadow of the Almighty, the
peaceful, calm presence in God’s care. “He will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge.”
So this psalm highlights God’s care and protection. It also highlights our
trust in God. We entrust our lives to God’s care. We believe that God cares
for us.
All of us at some point face situations where we need to trust. Perhaps we
face a serious illness. Or we find ourselves out of work or in work that is not
enough for us. Perhaps our family life is turbulent right now. Or God seems
silent in the midst of our troubles.
The psalmist encourages us: “those who abide in the shadow of the
Almighty, will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in
whom I trust.”
What follows in verses 3 to 13 of the psalm are very specific forms of God’s
care and protection. “ For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler (a
fowler by the way is a hunter of birds) and from the deadly pestilence…You
will not fear the terror of the night, or the arrow that flies by day, or the
pestilence that stalks in darkness, or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will
not come near you…no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your
tent.”
Most commentators take these dangers literally. Facing battle and plagues of
various kinds. There are others who think what the psalmist is describing are
demonic powers, especially the powers present in the Babylonian religions.
Either way, the main emphasis is on God’s consistent care, protection, and
support.
This care takes place during all parts of the day and night. From the earliest
days of the church, Psalm 91 was one of a very few psalms almost all agreed
should be prayed every day. The only question was when. In the Eastern
church, it was typically prayed at midday in response to the mention of “the
arrow that flies by day or the destruction that wastes at noonday.” In the