A SAFE PLACE

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” ” (Psalm 91:1–2, ESV)

Fear is easily one of the most dominant force in people’s lives and we are ever seeking a safe place where we can be free of our fears.

Consequently, people build hedges around their lives to shield themselves. Yet a complete sense of security continues to be elusive because ultimately trust is being placed in “humans” who are mortal and fallible, and in “things” that can readily cease to be as secure as we imagined. We accumulate wealth but it can lose its value; the security measures we set up for personal protection can fail; whether intentionally or unintentionally, man can disappoint us.

In our passage, however, the psalmist tell us of another place where we can seek shelter. A “safe place” where we are totally free from all fears can be found neither in man nor in things. This safe place which is sufficient for our salvation, protection, deliverance, preservation and provision can only be found in one place: “in the shelter of the Most High.”

If you are born of the Spirit of God, you already have access to dwell in that safe place where the divine presence of the Almighty cast a protective shadow over every part of your life, and casts out every fear.

And those who have learnt to abide in God as their shelter from all conceivable, even the inconceivable, calamities and shortcomings of life will experience the joy and blessing of being able to say, the Lord is “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” My Safe Place is in the Lord!

CONSTANT CARE

“You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows. ” (Psalm 23:5)

In this passage we are once again reminded that the man or woman who has taken the LORD to be his or her shepherd will walk under God’s provision and His constant care.

Some interesting and uplifting thoughts are stirred up by this passage. First, God has pronounced a blessing upon those who have made Him the shepherd of their lives with such blessings as can only be described as a banquet. God has laid out a table for you and upon it there is everything that you need – your healing is there, along with blessings for your marriage, finances, success, breakthroughs and more. Whatever the need may be, the Lord has adequately made provisions for.

Second thing we notice, and this is so significant, is that God has not made a secrete of the blessings He bestows on His sheep. The bible teaches that, God who sees your faithfulness in secrete will bless you openly even “in the presence of your enemies”. God will satisfy your mouth with good things openly!

Furthermore, the Lord who has blessed you and received you into His banquet, has also anointed you and given you the grace to enjoy the full benefit of His abundant, “overflowing” blessings with gladness. And there is nothing man or the devil can do to stop God from blessing you.

May the Lord provide for you generously and keep you under His divine protection and favour now and always, praise God!

NEVER ALONE

"Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me." (Psalm 23:4, ESV)

One of the things a good shepherd does is keep his flock out of harm’s way. In trusting Jehovah as his shepherd, to guide him and lead him, David tells us here that he is not afraid of taking the next step in life even if that step takes him through a path that is overcast with a gloomy and bleak shadow like a death shadow.

Walking with the Lord means following His leading day and night and yielding to His guidance. He blesses those who are faithful in so doing with His protective presence so that they can confidently say:  “I will not be afraid for you are close by my side”.

The shepherd’s rod is a short club which the shepherd carries with him for the purpose of fighting off wild animals, thus symbolic of God’s protective presence. The shepherd’s staff is a long stick with a hook-shaped head used for pulling back a straying flock - symbolizes God’s guidance.

The Lord Jesus Christ is our good shepherd: He will never leave you nor forsake you. You are never alone and will never be alone in that thing that you are going through today. The Lord will go through it with you, His rod and His staff will comfort you.

The valley of the shadow of death holds no fear for the man or woman whose shepherd is the Lord!