Trust, Not Terror

Issues – December 2013 – Grace & Truth Magazine

Trust, Not Terror

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust’ ...

He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day ... Because you have made the LORD ... even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you ... He shall give His angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways.

Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him ... and show him My salvation.”

—Psalm 91 NKJV

There is no doubt that we live in turbulent times. It seems so many of the small joys in life are being replaced by fear, anxiety and doubt. “Safety” is now a relative term. The question on most of our minds can only be, “What next?” Should we be afraid? Psalm 91 offers comfort and direction for believers when we may be feeling vulnerable and fearful.

BELIEVERS Must Guard Against Distortions And Distractions
Satan used verses from this psalm to test the Lord Jesus in the wilderness in an attempt to distract Him from His earthly mission: “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” (vv.11-12). Satan twisted the meaning of these verses, but the Lord was well aware of Satan’s tactics and He refuted him with the correct use of Scripture (Lk. 4:10-12).

As followers of Jesus we, too, should be alert and on our guard. We know that Satan is prowling around, seeking someone to devour (1 Pet. 5:8). One of his favorite strategies is to distract our attention from the Lord by creating an atmosphere of turmoil. He can use the media, anti-Christian organizations, misguided extremists or even misquoted Scripture to undermine our trust in God’s unfailing love and care. Thus the peace that God intends us to enjoy is disrupted or destroyed. To detect Satan’s schemes, believers must know God’s Word. To defeat his schemes, believers must trust God’s promises.

In 2 Timothy 3:13-17 we read: “evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. But you must continue in the things which you have learned and been assured of ... you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith ... in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, that the man of God may be complete, thoroughly equipped for every good work.”

BELIEVERS Don’t Have To Be Afraid
“You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day” (Ps. 91:5). After reading that verse you may be thinking, “But I’m still afraid!” Terrors by night and arrows by day dominate the daily news. Bullets, bombs and senseless attacks fill our world with fear and uncertainty. Although those things may happen around us, Psalm 91 teaches that believers don’t have to be afraid. We can be immune to the normal fears of life.

Notice that this psalm does not say that God’s people will never encounter terrors or arrows, but it says that we don’t have to be afraid of them! Why? Because committed believers live in the shelter of the Most High. They abide in the shadow of the Almighty. Committed believers take refuge in the Lord and they trust in Him. “I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in Him I will trust’” (v.2).

In verses 1 and 2, four different Hebrew names are used for God and they emphasize His power and sovereignty:

• “Most High”(Elyon): the omnipotent and sovereign God.
• “Almighty”(El Shaddai): the all-powerful God.
• “Lord”(Yahweh or Jehovah): the self-existent God who redeems His people.
• “God” (Elohim): the majestic and mighty Creator-God.

What stronger protection could we ever need?

Verse 4 paints a beautiful picture of safety: “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.” As a young eagle takes refuge under the strong wings of its parent, so we find rest when we entrust ourselves to our Father’s all-powerful care. Instead of focusing on fear, we can focus on God’s “feathers.” Believers who look to the Lord for protection do not have to be afraid.

BELIEVERS Are “Immortal” Until Their Work On Earth Is Done
As believers we understand that we are eternally immortal, but for this doctrinal point we use the word “immortal” in reference to our physical life on earth.

Psalm 91 appears to go further than just teaching that the believer does not have to be afraid of life-threatening situations or death as it seems to assure us that the Lord will deliver committed believers out of these situations. This poses an apparent problem because believers are not always delivered from dangerous situations, are they? Godly believers have died at young ages from tragic accidents, for example, and countless believers of all ages have been martyred.

How can we resolve this apparent contradiction? Here are a few of the explanations that Bible scholars have suggested. A full answer may include a combination of all these points.

• The promises of Psalm 91 are general Old Testament principles of God’s protection and long life for the godly believer. However, they are not absolutes with no exceptions. In His sovereign ways God may choose to allow a threatening situation or severe persecution – even death – for His glory and greater reward for the believer.
• Physical protection is only part of the promise in Psalm 91. Life for the believer is eternal and death is only a transition. Nothing in this world can take away or end a believer’s life – it is safeguarded forever. The Lord Jesus promised, ”I give [my sheep] eternal life, and they shall never perish; neither shall anyone snatch them out of My hand“ (Jn. 10:28). He also taught, “Do not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul” (Mt. 10:28).
• Believers are “immortal” until their work in life is complete. The Bible teaches that God is sovereign. Thus God has a sovereign plan for every believer’s life and believers are “immortal” until their work in life is finished. Ephesians 2:10 says, “We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”

Daniel was thrown to the lions, but he wasn’t killed because it was not God’s time for Daniel to die. His life’s work for the Lord was not yet done. Jonah was tossed into the stormy sea, but he didn’t drown because his mission in life was not finished. The apostle Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake, but the venom wasn’t fatal because Paul’s work for the Lord was not complete. While our decisions may factor into God’s sovereign will for our lives, believers are “immortal” until their work on earth is done.

BELIEVERS – Don’t Be Anxious About Anything!
Whenever we’re anxious or afraid, the apostle Paul advised: “Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, that surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:6-7).

Bring your fears and anxious thoughts to the Lord! If His peace is guarding our hearts and minds we won’t be shaken by the chaos surrounding us – no matter what the circumstances may be. “You will keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on You, because he trusts in You. Trust in the LORD forever, for in YAH, the LORD, is everlasting strength” (Isa. 26:3-4).

By David Reid