My pastor, Eric Mullinax of Covenant Presbyterian, spoke on Psalm 91 last Sunday evening in the context of Jesus’ temptation in the desert. I want to share one of his points here.

In Matthew 4:6, Satan recommended that Jesus throw himself from a cliff because “he will command his angels concerning you” and “on their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” That would be a way for Jesus to call on his Heavenly Father to prove himself, claiming God’s words as an constant oath of safety even in the face of foolish decisions like throwing himself off a cliff.

But Jesus knew the Father’s heart and rebuked the devil by saying he would not test the Lord Almighty by being reckless.

Psalm 91 says, “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place—
the Most High, who is my refuge —
no evil shall be allowed to befall you,
no plague come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
lest you strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder;
the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. (vv 9-13)

This isn’t extraordinary protection only for unusual circumstances. This is the daily life of those of us who dwell in him. He is our refuge in ordinary life because he is where we live. In the mundane hassles we all face, the Lord Most High is our shelter, and not only that, he has commanded an army of angels to bear us up. We had more defense than we could ever exhaust, and yet the Lord offers more. Calvin points out, “He dwells at this length in commendation of the providence of God, as knowing how slow men naturally are to resort to God in a right manner and how much they need to be stimulated to this duty and to be driven from those false and worldly refuges in which they confide.”

So what daily comforts do we seek in spite of the Lord, our refuge? Let’s acknowledge them for what they are and abide in the Lord Almighty’s shadow instead. For His is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever.