Year 2, Day 225: Psalm 91

Psalm 91

I love the thought that comes with the opening line of Psalm 91.  “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.  I love it because it’s totally anti-humanity.  Let me explain.

Take your typical teenager.  They clearly dwell in the shelter of their parents.  However, from the perspective of the teenager many times this is seen as a curse.  Your typical teenager can’t wait to get out and get “free.”  This is because being in the shelter of the parent also inherently means being in their shadow.  I was there.  I didn’t want to be in their shadow.  I wanted to make my own shadow! I remember feeling like I wanted to be on my own.  {However, Lord willing I still respected my parents.}

Even as adults, how many of us genuinely enjoy being in someone else’s shadow?  We just don’t like it.  We get jealous.  We covet.  We want the spotlight.  We want the attention.  We want life to focus on us, right?

Now read through that first line again.  To dwell in the shelter of the Lord is to abide in His shadow.  The psalmist knows that it is a good thing to be in the shadow of the Lord and not in a position to be alone and making our own shadow.  Life should be about God, not about us.  This psalm takes a look at humanity and from verse 1 talks about how humanity gets it screwed up.  Life is about God, not about me.

Why does our life need to be about God?  Well, how many of us can really save ourselves?  When the going gets really rough, how many of us can genuinely still love our neighbor and think about anyone besides ourselves?  When push comes to shove, isn’t the human instinct to push back?  Isn’t the human instinct to “look out for number one?”  Yet, can any of us save ourselves when it really counts?

No, it is God who saves us.  It is God who reminds us that we should care for the neighbor.  It is God who protects us so that we can love another.  It is God who gives us peace in the night so that we can find rest and shelter.  Why shouldn’t it be about God?  From this perspective, shouldn’t God be the focus?

Look at the promises that the psalmist gives as the psalm comes to a close.  “He will charge His angels to guard all your ways.”  This is a quote often tied to the story of Jesus Christ.  To the one who holds fast to God He promises deliverance.  God promises to protect the one who knows His name.  {The Hebrew word here does not necessarily mean “to have knowledge” but rather “to acknowledge.”}  God promises to be with us in the midst of trouble.  He promises to lift us up and to honor us.  He promises to satisfy us with His salvation.

Again, I repeat the question that has run the whole way through my reflections on this psalm.  Why wouldn’t God be the center of our life?  For all the stuff He does and for all the blessings He provides, why wouldn’t He be the center of our lives?

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