Psalm 91:1-8

The one who lives under the protection of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

He Himself will deliver you from the hunter’s net, from the destructive plague.

He will cover you with His feathers; you will take refuge under His wings. His faithfulness will be a protective shield.

You will not fear the terror of the night, the arrow that flies by day,

the plague that stalks in darkness, or the pestilence that ravages at noon.

Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you.

You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked.

The Lord is my Fortress

I take comfort in this verse. I am grateful that the Lord is watching out for my family. That I don’t have to fear the terror of night. And I don’t have to fear the arrows that fly by day (figurative or literal). I don’t have to worry about health or evil that comes to my door. I can trust that the Lord is going to take care of it.

We only see it with our eyes!

This is an amazing verse. Here the Lord promises that we won’t get the full effect of pestilence. We will only see it with our eyes. Again I’m no theologian (as I’m sure you’ve gathered if you’ve read any of my other blog posts). But I wonder if this means that while we recognize the evil of the world, and even experience the bad behavior of others, that pestilence will not fully reach us. Perhaps the pain it should inflict will be softened by the promises of eternal life or the knowledge that vengeance is the Lord’s.

My son is being bullied

Today a neighbor came over to tell me that he witnessed another child bullying my son. The neighbor was amazing. He spoke to the boy and then reported it to the school (they were on school property). My son hasn’t come home from school yet, and I’m curious to hear his thoughts on what happened. I think this verse may be part of my discussion. That no matter what other people do to us or say to us, they can’t hurt us in our soul, because the Lord is protecting our souls. While he shouldn’t let someone bully him, he may be able to step back and pray for that child. Praying that his rage toward my son was not the result of someone else’s rage being taken out on him. We’re fortunate. No matter what happens to us here on earth, we have hope. Hope of eternal life in heaven with our Lord. Oh yeah, and the Lord will take care of any revenge that’s due.

Do you fight your own battles? Do you hang out in the fortress?