Assurance of God’s Protection

This entire chapter of Psalm 91 is filled with the goodness and power of God. In this chapter God reminds that He faithfully works on behalf of those who love Him.  Over a period of time, I have learnt to say this prayer without fail every day in the morning and before going to bed at night. It has become a part of me. Even though I have memorised this, the power is more obvious when I read it from the Holy Bible. Psalm 91 consists of two major parts: a personal profession of trust that is followed by a divine promise of deliverance.

Every morning as I start my day, I ensure I light a candle or a lamp at the main altar of my prayer room. One such morning, I lit the candle and then went for work. The candle keeps burning as long as it lasts and goes out on its own. That particular morning, the candle had fallen onto the lamp shade and began to catch fire. The flame became so intense that it started emitting thick black smoke. The possibility of the other holy articles on the main altar to catch fi re was high. At this point, no one at home got to know about this. As the flame got more intense, the whole house was engulfed in a thick dark smoke. That’s when the people at home got to know and they rushed to the altar and with heavy effort tried and put out the flaming candle stand.

What surprised me was that, none of the holy articles on the altar had caught fire in spite of the high flame. It was only the candle stand which had got burnt. The possibility of the other articles and then the whole house catching fire was a possibility. But, by the grace of God, nothing as such happened.

That night when I was reflecting on how God saved us, a thought came to my mind and I believe it was the voice of my God telling me that He sent forth His angles to protect us and our home. I always ensure I read the Psalm 91 in front of the main altar before I leave for work. For me and my belief and faith, I know that was our saving point. “You who dwell in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and fortress, my God in whom I trust.’” God’s protection is all around us throughout the day, no matter if we are at work, home or even out shopping.

I always reflect on this. There are times when you feel lonely, disappointed, angry, unwanted and long to be with someone who you can talk to at these times, but may find it hard to find them at the right time. But when it comes to being with the Lord, no matter what time of the day or night it is, he is always ready to listen to you.

Shelter of the Most High – The ‘shelter of the Most High’ is simply a ‘hiding place’. In whatever troubles, we face today, God is the place of refuge we can run to, He is our safe place. The final verses of Psalm 91 are an oracle of salvation which provides a powerful promise to those who trust God that salvation is theirs.

If you are looking for something which has the power to touch your life and change your attitude in times of distress, trouble, anxiety and despair, or if you just want an additional boost of encouragement and hope, make a commitment to yourself to read Psalm 91 every night before going to bed. See what the Lord does with it.

Avinash Sainath