JMD Devotional 205 Psalm 91 Only a Spectator of Evil
HE WHO dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty [Whose power no foe can withstand]. I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!
For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.
“The rich promises of this whole chapter are dependent upon one's meeting exactly the conditions of these first two verses (see Exod. 15:26)(footnote in AMP).”
Note all of the ‘because’ and ‘for (then)’ and ‘for’ preambles to blessings: these are the conditions we must meet, and they are all based on faith. This faith is to be far deeper than mere intellectual assent; one must believe deep down in his gut that God will take care of him. Unbelief is an insult to God, a libel on His character as our Heavenly Father! When we feel forsaken, it is but a brief test of our faith; then it is that we most need to exercise it to honor God.
Dear God,
You were not distracted when trouble came my way; nothing takes You by surprise. You are not indifferent to my suffering, You have not minimized my difficulties in some callous fashion; what threatens me is taken very seriously by You; my trouble touches the pupil of Your right eye! But You have the advantage of an eternal perspective; You already see the end of the wicked, the tormentors, the trouble-makers and You see me safe in Your presence forever. Help me to see that, too, as much as a man can. Malicious spy ware may have breached my computer, stealing my accounts and identity, emptying my checking account. I feel helpless and overwhelmed; waiting anxiously to deal with the aftermath. But help me to honor You by resting in Your sovereignty and watchfulness; may my inspired peace compliment Your character!
I trust You to see me through this.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/
For [then] He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
[Then] He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings shall you trust and find refuge; His truth and His faithfulness are a shield and a buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror of the night, nor of the arrow (the evil plots and slanders of the wicked) that flies by day, Nor of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not come near you. Only a spectator shall you be [yourself inaccessible in the secret place of the Most High] as you witness the reward of the wicked. Because you have made the Lord your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, There shall no evil befall you, nor any plague or calamity come near your tent. For He will give His angels [especial] charge over you to accompany and defend and preserve you in all your ways [of obedience and service].
They shall bear you up on their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and adder; the young lion and the serpent shall you trample underfoot. Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high, because he knows and understands My name [has a personal knowledge of My mercy, love, and kindness--trusts and relies on Me, knowing I will never forsake him, no, never]. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him and show him My salvation.
“The rich promises of this whole chapter are dependent upon one's meeting exactly the conditions of these first two verses (see Exod. 15:26)(footnote in AMP).”
Note all of the ‘because’ and ‘for (then)’ and ‘for’ preambles to blessings: these are the conditions we must meet, and they are all based on faith. This faith is to be far deeper than mere intellectual assent; one must believe deep down in his gut that God will take care of him. Unbelief is an insult to God, a libel on His character as our Heavenly Father! When we feel forsaken, it is but a brief test of our faith; then it is that we most need to exercise it to honor God.
Dear God,
You were not distracted when trouble came my way; nothing takes You by surprise. You are not indifferent to my suffering, You have not minimized my difficulties in some callous fashion; what threatens me is taken very seriously by You; my trouble touches the pupil of Your right eye! But You have the advantage of an eternal perspective; You already see the end of the wicked, the tormentors, the trouble-makers and You see me safe in Your presence forever. Help me to see that, too, as much as a man can. Malicious spy ware may have breached my computer, stealing my accounts and identity, emptying my checking account. I feel helpless and overwhelmed; waiting anxiously to deal with the aftermath. But help me to honor You by resting in Your sovereignty and watchfulness; may my inspired peace compliment Your character!
I trust You to see me through this.
Amen
All (but*) quotes are from The Amplified Bible, published by
the Lockman Foundation. (AMP)
Copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
*New International Version (NIV)
Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by International Bible Society
**Scripture taken from The Message. Copyright © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002. Used by permission of NavPress Publishing Group. (Eugene Peterson's easy-to-read, contemporary Scripture translation)
If you know of someone who would like to subscribe to
my daily devotional, please forward.
jamesdinsmore_32907@yahoo.com
Short, concise, thought-provoking.
More features:
http://SaintJamesPoetry.blogspot.com
http://recoverydevotional.blogspot.com/
http://jamesezadventures.blogspot.com/
Labels: addiction, Christian, devotional, faithfulness, integrity, purity, recovery
posted by James M. Dinsmore at 8:58 AM
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