IS THE LORD YOUR REFUGE AND DWELLING PLACE?

No matter what we think, what we see, what we hear from others—only the Lord is a refuge from all of life’s storms. No other refuge is guaranteed to be totally secure. But we must make the Lord our dwelling place, our home, to ensure His protection

ETERNAL PERSPECTIVES         by Sally Bair

Your refuge and dwelling place

A thousand may fall at your side… but it shall not come near you … Because you have made the Lord … your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you, nor shall any plague come near your dwelling. (Psalm 91: 7, 9)

Nowadays, hundreds and thousands are dying from acts of terrorism and other evils. Can we believe Psalm 91 can keep us safe? Or do we tremble with fear and perhaps lose our faith at such reports?

Time and again, however, the promises in Psalm 91 have indeed kept many from evil. Untold warriors who have battled enemy nations, wildfires and a raging sea have been supernaturally rescued from certain death by reciting this Psalm. For such Bible-believing warriors, there is no hiding from the battle except in the secret places of God’s Word.

No matter what we battle, hiding behind our fear or insecurity is futile. One family is reported to

have circled their house while quoting Psalm 91 during an imminent tornado. Dressed in their pajamas, they carried their Bibles while circling, all the while taking biblical authority over the storm. Like Jesus, they spoke directly to the storm. The outcome? At the last moment, the funnel cloud lifted and disappeared.

Perhaps you’re skeptical. Perhaps you believe it was a mere trick of nature. I for one believe God has many such tricks up His supernatural sleeve for those who trust in Him.

Notice that in Psalm 91, David repeated the need to dwell with the Lord. You may remember my former message taken from verse 1: “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” When we dwell with Him, we become prepared to face any battle—and win. The entire Bible, in fact, is based on the importance of believing in God and His Word. Peter’s faith enabled him to step outside the boat and walk on water. Only when he looked at the life-threatening waves around his ankles did he begin to sink.

All faith requires action. “Faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.” (James 2:17) Our tongues find it easy to roll out the words, “I believe.” We don’t want to allow our fears and insecurities stop us from entering the battle—whether fire, raging sea or disease. Or perhaps the battles of insecurity or lack of faith. 

Lord, thank You for inviting us to dwell in You and Your eternal promises. Increase our faith so we can enter any battle with assurance of Your saving power. In Jesus’ name, amen.