My Fortress
“If you say, ‘The LORD is my refuge,’ and you make the Most High your dwelling, no harm will overtake you, no disaster will come near your tent.”
Today’s Text: Psalm 91 (Living Life Daily Devotional)
It would be incredibly foolish to read this Psalm and think that it applies to us as individuals in this life. Our own experience and simple observation should guide us so that we do not misunderstand the Psalm. The devil even tested Jesus with verses 11-12, because the devil knew that the Psalm is a prophecy of the Christ. And Jesus, the Christ, responded by saying, “Do not put the Lord your God to the test” (Luke 4:12; Deuteronomy 6:16).
We need to understand this Psalm in terms of how it was fulfilled for Jesus and then apply our lives to its truth in terms of how it is fulfilled for us.
If there is anyone about whom we can say, “you make the Most High your dwelling,” it would be Jesus. And yet, He suffered as no other human being could suffer by taking upon Himself the full wrath of God for the sins of humanity.
At the same time, we must acknowledge that this Psalm was also fulfilled in Him. And we must do so because of faith. If we cannot acknowledge that this Psalm was fulfilled in Jesus Christ, then we must discard our trust in the absolute truth of the Scriptures. But we can clearly see that the Psalm was indeed fulfilled in the resurrection of the Son of David to eternal life.
The devil threw everything he had at Jesus, and yet no disaster destroyed Him and no harm overtook Him in the end.
But then, what does that mean for us? On the one hand, we can rest assured that the the word of God is true and will never fail. Then, we can have absolute confidence that the Psalm is fulfilled for us since we are united with Christ because of faith in Him.
We will have to face trials and tribulations and troubles in our lives. If Jesus Christ did, we certainly will. Even so, we need not fear. In the end, no harm will overtake us and no disaster will destroy us. And that should give us great confidence to live boldly in the face of every trial and tribulation and trouble.
If God is for us, who can be against us?
— Romans 8:31b
Father, You are my Refuge and my Fortress! You are my God, and I trust in You and You alone. Forgive me for when I lack confidence in Your shelter and refuge. And thank You for always watching over me anyway. Make me bold in my witness and let no weapon stand against me. In Jesus’s name. Amen.
