Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name. When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them. With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation. ~ Psalm 91:9-16
You might know think of the song "On Eagle's Wings" when you read the words of this Psalm. You've likely heard it at a funeral or during a church service at some point.
Or perhaps the words of Satan tempting Jesus in the desert come to mind: when he tempts Jesus to throw himself off the temple since the angels would protect him.
But Jesus reminds him not the tempt God.
There is much to hope for in this Psalm. We are protected by God.
And yet yesterday we also learned from Job that we will nevertheless suffer and we will never fully understand why.
We will also likely never fully understand how God protects us.
As I've mentioned before, the Psalms provide a wonderful, prayerful way to express our feelings - both good and bad - to God. They give an emotional outlet for us in times of joy and in times of trial.
Just as in Job we learn we are not alone in our suffering, in this Psalm, we receive the same promise. God is with us, even when we cannot fully comprehend how.
God of hope and promise, bear me up in times of pain that I may fully rest in your comforting embrace. Amen
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