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Divine Guidance in Difficult Days from Psalm 91:1-2
It is hard to deny that we are currently facing a time where the Body of Christ in the West is likely to encounter unprecedented challenges. In light of this, how can we navigate these days with faithfulness and fearlessness? Tonight, I will refer to the intimate and comforting message from God’s Word that serves as a source of divine guidance: the Ninety-first Psalm.
“He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm (1:1-2).
How beautiful are the promises of God to give guidance in troubling times. Thus, Calvin introduced Psalm 91:
“In this psalm we are taught that God watches over the safety of his people, and never fails them in the hour of danger. They are exhorted to advance through all perils, secure in the confidence of his protection.”1
There are four divine directions to the believer from Psalm 91:1-2 that we might go forward in faith on days like these.
The first direction is this:
Stay close. “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” To dwell is to live, to make a home. His “secret place” is not intended to mean the location is hidden. It means it is a safe place, known to God and His people, but unknown to those who know not tge Savior. However, there is room for all. Some, like Saul, who sought to hunt down the Christians in their secret place with God, was led into the secret place, the safe place by the Lord. It is a large bunker with all the provisions we need. Turn from the unprotected places outside of the Ark of Salvation. Receive the gift of eternal security through Christ our Lord. When I was a boy way out in the country and the shadows of a threatening storm cloud began to move across the pasture where I played my Aunt Eva would appear on the front porch and cry out my name: “Mi’-chael (pronounced “Mai-kul!!!)!Stay close, Son! There’s a bad old cloud a-coming.” The shade of her love and wisdom was more powerful than the shadow of disturbing clouds. There is undoubtedly a shadow forming across our land, pushed by forces seen and unseen, creating strange cloud formations we have never seen before in our experience. But the shadow of the Almighty is a place of refuge. Don't tempt the storm. Listen to the Lord’s invitation. Stay close.
Stay Calm. Enter the shadow of the Almighty and trust Him to keep thee. His shade is more that a respite from the burning rays of an antagonistic secularism. His shade is an impenetrable divine covering of the ruling motif of the Gospel—being, the cross, and the thungscintenddc for evil are transformed to God’s glory and our good. To dwell in the shade of God is to live your life and overcome death through the power of the Gospel. In this celestial place where time meets eternity, the canopy of the Lord’s sovereign grace repels the meteors of malevolency that would damage our place with God. Even more, God transforms the diabolical debris into sacred jewels for the house of God—stones of remembrance. Once more, John Calvin on verse two:
The believer does more than simply resolve to make God his fortress; he draws near in the trust of the Divine promises, and familiarly addresses God. This confidence in prayer affords an additional proof how securely the people of God can dwell under his shadow.2
And so we can stay calm, that is, remain steadfast in our trust in God. The final directive I drawcyiurcattwnto to isxalsinin verse two.
Stay Ready. Ready for what? Ready to be His witnesses in troubled times. “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust” (Psalm (1:1-2). The mighty acts of God become our testimonies. This is our opportunity to share His goodness with those who are subject to the threats of ignoring God or rebelling against His Word.
I conclude with a beautiful prayer that I have prayed tonight:
Be present, O merciful God, and protect us through the hours of this night, so that we who are wearied by the changes and chances of this life may rest in your eternal changelessness; through Jesus Christ our Lord (BCP 1928).
Amen.
John Calvin and James Anderson, Commentary on the Book of Psalms, vol. 3 (Bellingham, WA: Logos Bible Software, 2010), 477.
Calvin, Psalms, 479.