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Psalm 91:1-9

“As for you, the one who lives in the shelter of the sovereign one, and resides in the protective shadow of the mighty King – 2 I say this about the LORD, my shelter and my stronghold, my God in Whom I trust – 3 He will certainly rescue you from the snare of the hunter and from the destructive plague.  4 He will shelter you with His wings; you will find safety under His wings.  His faithfulness is like a shield or a protective wall.  5  You need not fear the terrors of the night, the arrow that flies by day, 6  the plague that comes in the darkness, or the disease that comes at noon.  7  though a thousand may fall beside you, or a multitude on your right side, it will not reach you.  8  Certainly you will see it with your very own eyes – you will see the wicked paid back.  9  For you have taken refuge in the LORD, my shelter, the Sovereign One.”

Fear is in the air . . . especially if you get your daily dose of the terrorist propaganda or news of the spread of the dreaded Ebola.  You can even watch a poor soul being beheaded to terrify you, though I have not done so and would not recommend condoning such savagery by viewing it.  The pictures are enough to make us wonder if this evil force will succeed in their purposes, but somewhere in the quietness of our souls we know there is a Hero who has already won the war.  Though we might suffer temporarily, we know God has a good purpose in it and that ultimately He will deliver.  Praise His Name!

I cherish the promises in the Scriptures above.  The casual observer might wonder what it means to be sheltered in His wings – He is not a winged being, but it is an illustration of His covering.  Hidden in Him, He is our Protector.  I had to laugh at the disease arriving at noon – that’s how life is, isn’t it?  One moment, all is well, then the next you have a diagnosis or some crisis.  But we do not need to fear what comes next or borrow troubles that might not ever visit us.  Even when hardship or problems come our way, God never removes His love from us.  No, He even uses that necessary evil to make us more like Him – a treasure far more valuable than temporary suffering.

Fear speaks of a lack of trust, uncertainty.  Our times might be uncertain, but our God isn’t.  He is from everlasting to everlasting, the Eternal God.  He already knows the end completely and it is His faithfulness and His character we can rest in.  Evil will come and go and the temptation to fear will be tangible.  It is at that moment that we need to CHOOSE to place our trust in God – our fear in Him, not in things which are destined to be destroyed.  He is Our Defender and wants to show Himself strong on our behalf – we activate that defense by confidently trusting in Him by faith.  Don’t worry if you do not have sufficient faith – He can help you with that, too.

To everyone in these troubled times, God is in control.  He is not surprised by the turmoil and evil around us, He’s seen it before.  The rise and fall of wicked men is a cyclic pattern, ultimately all for God’s glory.  Yes even evil will bring Him glory, because He is the only One, true, Holy God and He is the One Who is All-Powerful and able to conquer any foe.  In Him I place my confidence, not our military or our leader, who the LORD put in the position of leadership, but in God alone.  I hope this inoculation of the real “reality” of God’s strength will help us to all realize the weakness in the enemy’s armor – he is not a god, he is not all-powerful.  He is a tool of the devil, destined to hell.

Lord, help us to trust in You – when we can’t see You, when we are prone to doubt, increase our faith and help us to rely solely on You.  Thank You, God, that You are always faithful!  You know we are dust and You long to protect and defend us.