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Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him. For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease. He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings. His faithful promises are your armor and protection. Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet! The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.” Psalm 91 (NLT) 

This psalm contains truly incredible promises of protection in the midst of trials. We would probably prefer it if God’s protection meant we didn’t have to go through trials. But to be delivered “from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence,” there must be someone trying to trap you or a pestilence threatening your life. And if “A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand,” then you must be in a location where people are perishing right and left. Ps. 91:7 (KJV)

Because you have made God your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall happen to you; neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. Ps. 91:9-10 (KJV) 

God doesn’t always promise to keep us from scary situations. But He does promise to be there for us in the trials. He’s promising that we don’t have to live in fear because He’s got us. We can trust Him. 

We all know good Christian people who’ve gone through terrible trials. They have been fired from jobs for their faith, seen their children die, battled chronic health issues for years, and a host of other things. But, even in the midst of everything falling apart, we have to believe God keeps His promises. 

Perfect faithfulness is one of the things that makes God who He is; God. The promises of protection here are real. But He doesn’t always keep His promises in the way we might want Him to. For example, the promises of angelic protection in verses 11-12 don’t give you leave to do stupid things expecting God to save you. Remember the temptation of Christ in Matt. 4:5-7. And even if we’re not doing anything wrong, sometimes the promise to keep us from evil happens on a spiritual level more than a physical one. Indeed, that point is brought out in the psalm’s last verses. 

God has a different perspective than we do. What’s going on in our physical lives matters to Him, but He also sees more long-term. If He promises deliverance, it can be fulfilled in the next life just as easily as in this one. When He promises salvation, it can mean saving us from eternal death even more than from physical trials. “Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him. I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation.” Ps. 91:14-16 (KJV) 

Psalm 91 concludes with God speaking directly, confirming the promises made earlier in the Psalm. His words speak to a loving relationship He has with His people now and of how it will carry into the future. God is interested in helping and saving us in a more permanent manner than just assisting us with our struggles in this life although He will take care of that as well. He wants us to become part of His family for eternity; everything He does has eternal consequences in mind.