Psalm 91:9-13 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, 10 no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; 11 for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. 12 In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone. 13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
When the Lord is your refuge and dwelling place, you are blessed. Some scholars view the two phrases “refuge” and “dwelling place” as interchangeable. The thought being, making the refuge a place of dwelling. The refuge is where you place all your treasures for safe keeping and nothing is more valuable than your soul. Our refuge is none other than the “Lord…the Most High.”
He is our refuge when we abide in His presence (see v.1). Because no evil nor plague can come near Him, we find protection in His presence. Our spirit draws near to him as we pray and worship, even while our body lives here on this earth that has been cursed by the effects of sin. The body is temporal but the spirit is eternal. While the body ages and deteriorates, the spirit thrives.
The psalmist wrote of angels having charge over us, keeping and protecting us. Scripture gives us a glimpse of God intervening on our behalf in times of great struggle. In Genesis 32, Jacob had an encounter with an angel and in the process was reminded how God had provided and protected him for more than 20 years. In Daniel 10, an angel told Daniel that there had been an intense battle with demons trying to prevent the angel from delivering a message to Daniel. The angels of Almighty God prevailed and the message from God was delivered. It is unwise for us to fixate on angels, as they are only messengers of God. Our full attention and devotion should be directed to Almighty God. But keep in mind, the angels of God are at His beck and call and are actively working on our behalf. With the Lord as our refuge, we are safe from the roaring and slithering demonic forces intent on doing us harm.
Let’s sing: “A mighty fortress is our God, a bulwark never failing…”