Freedom House Church and Healing Centre

Many of us have been reading, declaring, praying, believing, receiving and walking in the promises of Psalm 91, especially over the past year and a half.  How many times have you read it?  Hundreds?  I encourage you to read it again.  What has struck me is that the word refuge is used three times in this Psalm.  The Lord must want us to pay attention to this word.  

In vs 2 David declares, I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.”

In vs 4 the psalmist writes, He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge;

The third use of the word refuge is in vs 9 and, along with vs 10, is a promise of protection to those who have made the Lord their refuge.

Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place, No evil shall befall you,
Nor shall any plague come near your dwelling; (Ps 91:9-10 NKJV)

Refuge (machseh) means:

·         A shelter-For You have been a shelter for me, A strong tower from the enemy.  I will abide in Your tabernacle forever; I will trust in the shelter of Your wings. (Ps 61:3-4)

·         A shelter from the storm-For You have been a strength to the poor, A strength to the needy in his distress, A refuge from the storm, A shade from the heat; For the blast of the terrible ones is as a storm against the wall. (Isa 25:4 NKJV)

·         Protection-Ps 91:9-10

·         Fortress-The word means stronghold, a place of hiding and defense.  Jesus is our stronghold.  

He is my steadfast love and my fortress, my stronghold and my deliverer, my shield and He in whom I take refuge, who subdues peoples under me. (Ps 144:2 ESV)

·         A hope- When David says in Ps 91:4 ‘take refuge’ he is saying to make God your refuge and your hope.

·         A place of trust-David put his trust in the Lord.  He made the Lord his trustworthy place of shelter.  

But it is good for me to draw near to God; I have put my trust in the Lord God, That I may declare all Your works. (Ps 73:8)

David continuously declares in the Psalms that he puts his trust in God, that God is his refuge and that he will take refuge in Him.  In the following scriptures, the word trust (chasah) means to hope, to make someone a refuge.  

·         I will leave in your midst A meek and humble people, And they shall trust in the name of the Lord. (Zeph 3:12 NKJV)

·         Be merciful to me, O God, be merciful to me!  For my soul trusts in You; And in the shadow of Your wings I will make my refuge, Until these calamities have passed by. (Ps 57:1)

·         It is better to trust in the Lord Than to put confidence in man. (Ps 118:8)

Here are more scriptures to read, pray and declare:

·         God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. (Ps 46:1 NKJV)

·         The Lord of hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our refuge. 

(Ps 46:7, 11 NKJV)

·         I cried out to You, O Lord: I said, “You are my refuge, My portion in the land of the living. (Ps 142:5 NKJV)

Those of us who have been reconciled back to God through Jesus can confidently declare that God is our refuge and that we put our trust in Him alone.  He is our shelter from the enemy and from the storms of life.  He is our protector, our stronghold and hope!

As we continue to read, pray and declare Ps 91 and these other scriptures, the question really is, “Do we live our lives like we have received and believe these truths?” 

Let me ask you, “Who do you put your trust in? Who do you put your hope in?  Who do you run to?”

JESUS IS THE ONLY ANSWER!

For those of you who love to listen to the Word in song, listen to Psalm 91 Song (NKJV) “My God, In Him I will trust” by Esther Mui.  It’s beautiful.

“He who has an ear, let him hear what the Spirit says to the churches...” Rev 2:7