Psalm 91

This morning as I gulped down my cereal and made sure my son ate his (rather than throwing it on me) I glanced at Psalm 91.  "Very nice," I thought.  "Now, what's next on my agenda?  He needs a nap, the washing needs to go on, I probably should get dressed and sort tonight's meal and..."  All too quickly Psalm 91 and all it's niceness got swept away on a tide of busyness.

But I felt a bit sad about that.  It seemed like such a rich Psalm.  So later in a moment of quiet I sat in the sun and read it again.  Here are some of my thoughts on verses one and two (yes I only managed the first two verses - that was the amount of time I had before the washing was ready to be hung out... but I digress.)

'Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty."

- this is not talking about people who occasionally stop by and give the odd 5 minutes to God.  This is a promise for those who make a conscious decision to spend the whole of their life in His presence.

- 'shelter' is apparently a reference to the Temple.  The place where God's glory dwelt.  Again a place where people had to make a conscious decision to visit.

- they 'will' find rest.  A promise not just a hope.  A certainty which is true irrespective of feelings and circumstance.

- 'find rest'.  Something we need to actively seek when in his presence?  Rest: stillness, peace, restoration.  A state of being where we don't need to do or be anything.  And rest, presumably, from all the things which cause our exhaustion.

- 'Most High' and 'Almighty' are both names which remind us of who God is and what he can do.  Because he is the Most High and because he is Almighty we can trust him.  We can rest.

"This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God and I trust him."

- 'I declare' indicates a decision not a feeling.  I choose this, again irrespective of my feelings or what's going on in my life.

- 'He alone is my refuge' - not money, not my career or my intellect, not my achievements or my status or my family.  My refuge is God.  Refuge: a place of safety from danger.  No indication that belief in God results in a life free from danger.  But rather that within the danger and worry and fear we experience, God stands as a shelter.

- 'He is my God'.  This is a personal decision.  A decision made and a relationship formed.

- 'and I trust him' and there are consequences to this decision.  Trust: reliance upon and confidence in. Trust is a decision and an action.