ICS Daily Devotions
In Him I Will Trust
Psalms 91:1-12 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.” Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you look, and see the reward of the wicked. 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; for He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. In their hands they shall bear you up, lest you dash your foot against a stone.
The deliverance of the Lord as described in Psalm 91 is reminiscent of God’s deliverance of the Israelites from their bondage in Egypt — plagues, pestilence, evil, deaths, and the terror of the night when the firstborns were killed. The Israelites were starting a new day when they put their trust in the Lord whom they had not known since the days of their forefathers; they had to choose to apply faith in the instructions of God.
Today, we face similar threats in the world from terrorists and other extremists, but we can trust that God is faithful to His Word when we put our faith in Him and faith is established in His Word. Therefore, to avoid being subject to fear, we need to take an active stance and learn to put our faith in His Word regarding His protection for us.
Psalm 91:2 says “I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust.’” There are two things to note. First, “in Him I will trust” refers to those who put their trust in the Lord. We often overlook that this is a prerequisite. The people referred to in this passage are those who take God’s Word for it, keep the peace of God and rest in His protection. On the contrary, there are those who doubt, complain, question and argue about the absence of God’s protection when it’s most needed. What the latter group fails to understand is that they need to exercise faith in God — it is a choice! Our lives are based on the theological conviction we hold, and we can either choose to live in fear or in faith.
Secondly, it says “I will say of the Lord…”. Normally, we will speak out of the conviction of our hearts because it is out of the abundance of the heart that the mouth speaks. Believing, speaking, and acting are all correlated. As such, it is vital that we have the right belief because it will affect the way we speak and act, and influence those around us, especially our family, so we should ask ourselves what we would rather be: a faith-filled or fear-filled family.
Therefore, let’s choose to trust in God and rest in His protection and declare with our mouths that He is our refuge and our fortress!
Sermon Series: God and His Angels
