Helpless to Heaven Part 2 - Trust in God's Shadow

Relationships on earth are, I believe, a picture of our relationship to God. In comparison many of the problems we carry in relationship to other people are born in our relationship to God. I've never seen Psalm 91 as a relationship psalm before this time. I believe there are 3 distinct steps in the relationship we have to the Father and the first is trust. A list of definitions and related material is available in Helpless to Heaven Part 1.

In the beginning of my study of Psalm 91 I wrote: I must decide if I will believe that this speaks directly to me. I understand that it speaks prophecy of Jesus, but “as he is so are we in this world.” And “what you see of me you shall do also.” This brings hope that this scripture can be accessed by the believer.

That sounds good, right? There is no other passage so totally stuffed full of amazing promises and I'm a believer, right? So I asked my Father to help me see, understand, and appropriate what was truly mine for my benefit and his kingdom's. It's a good attitude to start with, but maybe that was more in theory than actuality. Yet God hears and he was willing to answer that prayer even if I didn't understand what I prayed.

Verse 1 and 2: Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

I'm well acquainted with shelters. I've run to small empty cabins placed beside a trail for that reason. I've met and ministered to and with homeless people who live in refrigerator and mattress boxes. I've gotten animals from the Humane Society's shelter. Fort Chaffee has served as a shelter to refugees and storm victims over the years. But shelter also means to cover, protect, keep from harm and extreme conditions.

Fortresses are abundant in history and cultures throughout the world. When we were in France we visited churches that housed armies and protected local populations during WW2. Most of them became bomb targets for that fact. Many had the stained glass obliterated though the thick walls withstood the blasts. These were structures you could trust.

I live in a fort built at the edge of the land where the government exiled many native cultures well over a century ago. It was also a place of definition during the civil war. It then became a bastion of legal order when the Oklahoma territory became the refuge of lawless thieves and murderers. It is today a sanctuary for the protection of both mammals and birds. And it maintains a large number of storm and disaster shelters for it's inhabitants.

The shelter in these verses is operated by the Most High God. One thing in my word studies that was of interest was the different degrees of the word 'dwell'. It can involve anything from a short term stay to a permanent arrangement. But when you dwell in God's shelter, you can rest in his ability to keep you safe from attack or circumstance. When you are there, you are under his shadow. He is the covering and he is the limelight. Sometimes I think one reason we venture out from under his shelter is because we cannot shine there and we want to 'shine.' Yet he is to be the visible one in the relationship.

The promises are amazing for those who will remain stable and fixed under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord "he is my refuge and fortress, my God, on him I lean and in him I confidently trust.

"For then he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

Then he will cover you with his pinions and under his wings you shall trust and find refuge;

his truth and his faithfulness are a shield and buckler.

Then you will not be afraid of the terror of the night,

nor of the arrow that flies by day,

nor of the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor of the destruction and sudden death that surprise and lay waste at noonday.

Dare we believe? But do we dare not believe in this terror ridden world? Trust -confidence in his care, power and provision- is the key to the first part of this relationship. Without faith it is impossible to please God. Without faith, we do not dwell in his protection. He is my refuge and my fortress. And yet I will venture out to do my own protecting, my own providing in my own pitiful strength.