"He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High"...

**update** I wrote this back in May (We fear, wonder and search...) and saved it in my drafts.  I posted it then; however, some things are worthy of repeat and Psalm 91 is a chapter I need to read again and, you know... I'm all about sharing. {insert smile here} 

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This morning while taking the kids to school, we were listening to K-LOVE, a Christian music radio station that can be heard all over the U.S. and via Internet all over the world.  John & Sherry Rivers were having kind of a tribute to honor all our military personnel when a mother called in and encouraged all the parents and spouses to pray Psalm 91 for their family members in Iraq.  Then John Rivers read Psalm 91.  It was very moving and as he was reading my thought was... there's the answer for our troops... there's the answer for our nation.

Read Psalm 91 below and see how simple it is:

Psalm 91

Safety of Abiding in the Presence of God

1 He who dwells 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 I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
         And under His wings you shall take refuge;
         His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
         And ten thousand at your right hand;
But it shall not come near you.
8 Only with your eyes shall you look,
         And see the reward of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the LORD, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
10 No evil shall befall you,
         Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling;
11 For He shall give His angels charge over you,
         To keep you in all your ways.
12 In their hands they shall bear you up,
         Lest you dash your foot against a stone.
13 You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra,
         The young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.
14 “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him;
         I will set him on high, because he has 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 I will satisfy him,
         And show him My salvation.”

Do you see the key to God's protection? The emphasis in the above is mine because I believe that is the key...

*living (he who dwells) in the secret place of the Most High:  receiving God's gift of salvation through Jesus Christ. [do you see that? what a precious revelation: the salvation of Jesus Christ is my/our secret place.]

*"I will say of the Lord":  verbalizing our belief in Jesus Christ.  [Romans 10:9 says:  "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."]

*"My God, in Him I trust":  Trust Him, always... so simple ...   just as a child trusts his loving parents. [Hebrews 11:6 says "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."]

*God's response:

"BECAUSE he has set his LOVE upon Me, therefore I will deliver him!" -  I love you, LORD. Help me love You more.

*"BECAUSE he has known My Name." - Known? Indicates a relationship, don't you think? Yes, an intimate relationship with my Savior.

James 2:23
"And the scripture was fulfilled that says, 'Abraham believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness,' and he was called God's friend."

*"He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him" - PRAYER, believing, receiving these promises with confidence.

Isn't that awesome!?!  These promises are what you can expect when you have surrendered your life to God... when you love and trust the Lord and call on Him in prayer.

In light of Psalm 51, I suggest that our prayer for our troops be that each and everyone of them has this kind of relationship with the Heavenly Father through Jesus Christ.  If they each one do not have a personal relationship with Jesus, then our prayers for their safety may very well be in vain.  It's our responsibility to be communicating Psalm 91 to them... to America... to the world.

God is real.  His Word is truth.  His promises trustworthy. As confirmation of Psalm 91, when I got back to the house, Don was watching the 1941 movie, Sergeant York.  This movie, based on a true story, is Psalm 91 acted out perfectly.

Challenge:  Verbalize, read, re-read, write them down, circle them, highlight...  all the promises in Psalm 91, when our hearts belong to HIM. 

We should understand that as individuals and as a nation we are not safe when we are not "under the shadow of the Almighty."

The Armor of God

Ephesians 6

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.

11 Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes.

12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand.

14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place,

15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace.

16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one.

17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.