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. (Psalm 91:11-12)
The preamble for these verses indicates this promise is given to those who make the Lord their refuge and dwelling place. It hints that, though our bodies exist in this physical world, our hearts are in another place — the heavenly realm. Consequently, the Lord honors this by sheltering us from those threats and dangers that commonly affect the world’s populace. Moreover, to those who place such trust in the Almighty, He appoints ministering spirits to guard us from those dangers that we can not see and to deliver us from situations that might do us harm.
The notion is thematically connected to a statement David made: “The angel of the Lord encamps all around those who fear Him, and delivers them” (Psalm 34:7). We may not see them, we may never even sense them but the Word of God assures us that He has appointed angels to keep watch over those who have placed their confidence in God. They don’t necessarily prevent encounters with danger — Scripture is replete with situations that would dispel that notion — but they are there ready to act upon the Lord’s command to protect and defend us. Remember what Messiah said in the garden: “Do you think that I cannot now pray to My Father, and He will provide Me with more than twelve legions of angels?” (Matthew 26:53). In other words, they were standing by waiting for the word to act.
There are many pitfalls and obstacles — stones if you will — that are in our path as we journey through life. Too often we become careless or indifferent to our situation for whatever reason and that is when we dash our foot on a stone. Let’s put it this way: when our mind becomes overly focused on temporal things instead of heavenly matters, we stumble upon those temporal things. Thus, Moses reminds us to make the Lord our refuge — i.e. focus on Him. If we do this, we will find that our God is “a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear” (Psalm 46:1-2) because, if need be, He will dispatch angels to our assistance to guide us out of dangerous situations. Therefore, take courage and be hopeful because God is on our side.
Blessings and Shalom,
Bill
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