Psalm 91:9-13

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.

For he will command his angels concerning you

    to guard you in all your ways;

 they will lift you up in their hands,

    so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

    you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

     Don't you just love this image?  It's how I picture the protection offered in these verses.  We have been given lots of information on different areas of protection, so let's get started in identifying them.  If you will notice, once again we are reminded that IF we say, with our mouth, "The Lord is my refuge" and take the action of dwelling with the Most High, then the covenant of protection is expanded to include not only us, but our "tent", or our household.  What a comfort that is!  We can pray this Psalm of protection over our entire family!

     When we are truly trusting in His faithfulness to fulfill His promises, we won't live in fear or dread that something bad is going to happen to us or a loved one.  We can let go of the fear of that phone call in the middle of the night, or the knock on the door with bad news.  This verse promises that a firm and unwavering faith will allow you to live without the constant fear of receiving tragic news.  Verse 10 now includes your family under this umbrella of God's protection.

     Verse 11 tells us that God will command his angels in regards to us, and to guard us in all our ways. Have you ever had one of those "coincidences" where you averted injury or danger?  A month and a half before PLW and I were married, I was involved in a hit-and-run accident.  It was late on a Saturday night and I was returning to my rented house after spending an evening with my future in-laws.  I was driving on a well-lit, busy interstate and happened to look into my rearview mirror just as two headlights blinded me and the vehicle smashed into me.  I left the highway, my little car somehow traversing between two concrete light poles and rolling end over end up the embankment.  I cried out to God, as I was conscious of exploding glass and the sound of the grassy hillside coming up to meet me with each revolution.  The car made one final roll and landed on four tires.  The roof was smashed in, missing my head by less than an inch.  If I had not been kept in place within the chaos of that car, I would not be here today.  I have never doubted that there were angels all around me that night.  When the police officer came to take my statement at the hospital, he couldn't believe that all I received was 6 stitches in my scalp.  He couldn't explain how I managed to avoid hitting either pole, or how I avoided a crushed skull.  After witnessing the car, he thought there was surely a fatality involved.

     The funny thing was, I never knew what happened; who rear-ended me or why.  No one stopped on that busy interstate to help me.  I extracted myself from that car and ran a couple of blocks to a motel, where the ambulance and PLW were called.  I know for certain that angels "lifted me up in their hands" that night, keeping me safe and unharmed.  There is no other explanation.  But I know that they are there and are commanded to guard us.  

     The last two lines of this selection now transition to another topic.  We are told that we have been given authority over the enemy.  Most Christians, though, do not know it or fail to use it.  It is important that we claim this authority to tread on all the powers of the Enemy ... from the loud and bold attacks that come on us like a lion; to the sneaky and undercover threats that threaten to devour us like a snake; and finally to the deceptive and imaginary fears that the serpent (Devil) whispers in our ears.  God has given us the power and authority to defeat these attacks and fears; we just submit them to the authority of His Name.  We are now able to tread on these spiritual enemies; trample them under our feet while stamping out all the evil in our path.  

     What a superabundance of protection!  If we would just visualize this series of protective promises ... our households protected, angels standing guard, and trampling the Enemy underfoot ... and SAY and BELIEVE that the Lord is our refuge; then we would have no reason to fear.  Claim these promises today!