PSALM 91:
To the Saints at the Wales,
Dear friends, I pray that you are in good health, mentally, physically, and spiritually. Although we cannot join for a Sunday worship service, we can still encourage each other with God's word. I love God's reassuriung message to us in Psalm 91, a picture of His encompassing hand, protecting and blessing us.
Psalm 91
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow fo the Almighty.
I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust."
Surely He will save you from the fowler's snare and from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with His feathers, and underHis wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.
You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishmnet of the wicked.
If you say, "The LORD is my refuge," and you make the Most High your dwelling,
no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;
they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
"Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation."
This psalm is especially encouraging in these worrisome times. The psalm tells us that God wants to be our shelter, our refuge, our fortress, and our shield. He will save us, rescue us, protect us, and deliver us when we put our trust in Him and choose to dwell in His shelter. As we spend time with Him, reading the bible and praying to Him we learn how much He loves us. Instead of being overwhelmed by the situation aroundu s, we can focus on God, as only He can protect us from all danger. When you get worried - read psalm 91!
This psalm was illustrated to me when I witnessed a father enjoying time with his child. The father's big strong hands held his child as his child rode a wilde ride. The child was bouncing up and down and getting tossed this way and that. The child was oblivious to the danger and simply enjoyed the excitement and fun of the ride. Without the father's protective hands, the child would have fallen tothe ground and been badly hurt. Yet the child was free to laugh with glee because of his trust and confidence in the father's ability to protect him from harm.
If an earthly father wants to protect a child from harm, think how much more "Our Father who art in heaven" wants to protect us from harm. We can put ourselves in this illustration as the child, and God as the father. He has his big protective hands holding us. There can be danger all around us, but we do not need to be fearful. We can relax and have joy because we are in the shelter of God and He will protect us. And when our time to ride off comes, we will not fall to the ground. Verse eleven and twelve say, "For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone."
Pestilencve is mentioned twice, in verses three and six, and most want protection against COVID-19. As God's children we can rest and relax in His presence and not worry about the uncertainty surrounding us. Some songs that remind me of this fact are:
- He's Got the Whole World in His Hands
- Jesus Loves Me
- What a Friend we Have in Jesus
Let us pray based on Philippians 4:4-9:
"Lord, we thank You for all You have done for us. Please fill us with Your joy and help us to be gentle and kind. Let us feel You near. Keep us from worry and anxiety, but help us to bring our prayers and requests to You with thanksgiving. We ask that your Peace stand guard over all our thoughts and feelings. Focus our thoughts on what is good and worthy of praise; things that are true and honorable, and right and pure and beautiful and admirable. Be with us and give us peace. Amen."
Please remember that you are very precious to God, and He will never leave you. Father Giuseppe, Father Edward, and those serving the St. Francis Regional Ministry send their greetings.
I hope to see you soon,
Lisa Coddington
Volunteer
Norma Husk
President, Richmond County Historical Society