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Today's Scripture: Psalm 91:9-16
9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.
Tim’s Devotional Reflection for Today
Bad things happen to good people. Everyone knows that. Good, faithful, honest, hard-working, loving, committed — you can plug in any adjective here you want — people get sick, get hurt, and experience suffering.
So, what are we to make of these words of the psalmist?
I want to back up a few verses to where the psalmist says, “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.” (Psalm 91:5-6, NRSV)
For me, I can only make sense of this by thinking about it as confidence, trust, and hope in the face of whatever it is that is most fearful to me in these moments. For me to recite this psalm with integrity is to understand that God is present, giving me strength and confidence at night, in pestilence, and in the heat of the day.
The psalmist has his catalogue of threats: darkness, violence, pestilence, destruction, falling, and even lions and snakes. The apostle Paul had his catalogue of threats, too: hardship, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword, death, life, angels, rulers, things present, things to come, powers, height, and depth.
Then, Paul declares that none of those things “nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
Bad things may certainly happen, but they cannot separate us from God’s love. Tragedy may indeed strike, but we will never face “the terror of the night” alone.
Hymn Suggestion
“On Eagles’ Wings”
You who dwell in the shelter of the Lord
Who abide in His shadow for life
Say to the Lord: "My refuge, my rock in whom I trust!"
And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand
The snare of the fowler will never capture you
And famine will bring you no fear
Under His wings your refuge, His faithfulness your shield
And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand
You need not fear the terror of the night
Nor the arrow that flies by day
Though thousands fall about you, near you it shall not come
And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand
For to His angels He's given a command
To guard you in all of your ways
Upon their hands they will bear you up
Lest you dash your foot against a stone
And He will raise you up on eagles' wings
Bear you on the breath of dawn
Make you to shine like the sun
And hold you in the palm of His hand
And hold you, hold you in the palm of His hand
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