Photo by Matt Chesin on Unsplash

As Sherry and I were coming home today from the Church house we saw an ambulance and two police cruisers at a neighbor’s home. Though I don’t know the details I know that someone was hurt, and someone dialed 9-1-1. When we dial 9-1-1 those who we call “First Responders” come to us to help us. Sometimes we need the Police, and other times the Fire Department or an ambulance. Thank God for our 9-1-1 operators and those responders who come to help us in need.

Psalm 91 can be likened to a Heavenly 9-1-1 call. It is a beautiful Psalm. Many turn to this Psalm for comfort, and as we have been under the threat of this pandemic called Covid-19, we all need comfort. How about picking up your Bibles and dialing 9-1-1, Psalm 91:1 with me. Are you ready? Let’s read this beautiful Psalm together:

Psalm 91-1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

2 I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.

3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

8 Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

9 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

13 Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

15 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him.

16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

There Are Wonderful Promises From God In This Text

As we dial 9-1-1, Who is our First Responder? It is God Himself. We are told:

Psalm 91:3 Surely {God} shall DELIVER thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

• If you are being deliberately hunted by an enemy, or under threat from deadly pestilence (which we could say is Covid-19) then God will deliver you. Trust in Him. The Bible says that “God is faithful”:

  1 Corinthians 1:9 God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

  1 Corinthians 10:13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.

When God is called, God will come. We’re given a beautiful picture in these words:

Psalm 91:4 {God} shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:

• Continuing with the theme of God delivering you from the “fowler” (bird hunter), our Lord is now poetically pictured as a Bird who guards His offspring by covering them with His own body.

  Years ago I saw a picture of a place in Yellowstone Park that was decimated by fire. One of the Park Rangers found the dead and burned body of a female bird. When he turned her over, underneath were several baby chicks, absolutely untouched by fire or heat. God puts Himself over top of His children, lovingly guarding us from many things that would harm us.

  But God is not the only First Responder who comes to us when we dial 9-1-1. We read next:

Psalm 91:11 For {God} shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

• God assigns guardian angels to His Children to protect them from harm, as long as we stay in His will. The devil, tempting Jesus in the wilderness, told our Lord:

  Matthew 4:6-7 {Satan said unto Jesus} If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. {Our Lord} Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.

God may assign guardian angels to us, but this does not mean that we should be foolish with our lives. We are to do all things “as unto the Lord” (Colossians 3:23-24). While going through this pandemic do not behave foolishly but keep yourselves clean, your hands washed, and use common sense.

One show I used to watch diligently when it was on television was the Beverly Hillbillies. One day Granny Clampett said – and I love this – “If common sense was lard, some people wouldn’t have enough to grease a pie pan”. The angels watch over God’s children, but don’t text and drive. Don’t walk out into traffic without looking. Clean your hands. Watch your hygiene. Take precautions. Please, use the common sense God gave you!

To Whom Are These Wonderful Promises Made?

Any citizen of the United States can dial 9-1-1 and a First Responder will come and give aid. But what of God’s 9-1-1? Are the promises of Psalm 91 made to me? They could be, if you are a child of God by faith in Christ. We read:

Psalm 91:9-10 Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation; 10 There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

The word “because” gives us a condition to these great and wonderful promises. If you have made the LORD (Yahweh) the refuge you run to, even the MOST HIGH (Elyon) the place where you stay (your habitation), God will protect you. The promise is to the one who loves the Lord and lives with the Lord – He is not just your incidental place you visit every now and again, nor your vacation spot – but your HOME. We read:

Psalm 91:1 He that dwelleth (יָשַׁב yâshab, pronounced yaw-shab’ – take up permanent residence in) in the secret place of the most High (עֶלְיוֹן ʻelyôwn, pronounced el-yone’ – the Supreme) shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty (שַׁדַּי Shadday, pronounced shad-dah’-ee – Almighty, God of all Provision).

Psalm 91:2 I will say of the Lord (Yahweh, the Great I AM), He is my refuge and my fortress: my God (אֱלֹהִים ʼĕlôhîym, pronounced el-o-heem’, the Triune Name of God); in him will I trust.

Jesus told us in John 14:21-23 He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. 22 Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? 23 Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him.

This is very similar to what we read in our Psalm. God said:

Psalm 91:14 Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

When we “set our love on God”, doing as Jesus told us:

Matthew 22:37 … Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind.

Which is a reflection of what God told His Old Covenant people in:

Deuteronomy 6:5 … And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might.

The promises of Psalm 91 are to those who love the Lord with ALL. Not with just a tiny bit of our hearts, but with ALL our hearts. He is worthy of this. God has a people. They are no one denomination, or as some brag, non-denominational. God has a people who love Him. Those who love God know that our God is faithful. He does not break His Word. God says:

Psalm 91:15-16 He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.

If we love God, when we call upon Him He hears our cries. He answers us. He is with us in trouble, and with us in sunshine. God promises to deliver the child of God, to give us long life, and to bless us with salvation.

The Christian – Born Of The Spirit – Need Not Fear

 About two hours ago this March 29th, 2020 the Nashville Channel 5 News reported 1720 cases of Covid-19 in Tennessee, with 7 deaths. Many are in panic over this virus. Fear grips our nation. But Beloved, if you are a Christian – born of the Spirit of God by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ – you need not fear. If you love the Lord, you need not fear. Jesus said:

Matthew 10:28-31 And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell. 29 Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. 30 But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31 Fear ye not therefore, ye are of more value than many sparrows.

God has promised – as our Father – to look after we who are His children. If …

Psalm 91:4-6 … his truth shall be thy shield and buckler. 5 Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6 Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

God’s children need not fear nor live in panic. We are to live in the palm of our Lord’s nail scarred hand. We are to trust Him with all our hearts. When God says:

Psalm 91:7 A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee.

Why do the thousand and the ten thousand fall? It is as Jesus said. “broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in there: Because narrow is the way, which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it.” If you have received the Lord Jesus Christ as your Savior, you are a part of the Family of God. You are an adopted child of God, indwelt by Christ’s Spirit. You need not fear, but should daily seek to walk in the shadow of your Savior and Lord.

Shine, Christian, Shine. Do not whine, but Shine! If you are not a Christian, run to Him Who loves you and gave His life for you. Trust in His Word. For He has said:

Romans 10:9-13 That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. 10 For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation. 11 For the scripture saith, Whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed. 12 For there is no difference between the Jew and the Greek: for the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon him. 13 For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord! Amen and Amen!