Psalm 91:3-4

"Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler." Psalm 91:3-4

Let's take a look at the results of God's protective power.

"He. . . delivers you from the snare of the trapper. . ." Imagine walking down a path when you get the sudden urge to look down. There you see a small wire stretched across the path. You get down on your knees and examine the wire. You follow it to one end and find that it leads to a trigger mechanism that stretches up a tree. Looking in the tree you see a net. It doesn't take long to realize that you have just found a snare. If you hadn't looked down when you did, you would have tripped the wire causing the net to fall on you and trap you in its web. That is the way the Lord works. If we are in His care, trusting in Him, He will protect us from all those traps we frequently find ourselves falling into.

". . . and from the deadly pestilence." I recall reading about the Black Plague. It is a disease that invaded the home then spread to the neighboring homes and finally engulfing entire neighbor hoods and towns. In it's shadow was pain, suffering, and, mercifully, death. The Lord can protect us from those diseases. He has promised to shelter His children from all the diseases that plague the world - if we will dwell, abide, take refuge, and hide in His fortress.

"He will cover you with His feathers. . ." Imagine being protected by the feathers of God. If you've ever snuggled down in a goose feather mattress, you know how it surrounds you and enfolds you protecting you from the cold. God seeks to do the same with us. He wants us to take shelter within the confines of His feathers.

"And under His wings you shall take refuge; . . ." There is no safer place to be for a little bird than under it's mother's wings. That's where God calls us to when we are in danger.

"His truth shall be your shield and buckler." Now here is a promise. God's faithfulness will provide protection. Think about it. Imagine that you are a policeman. You are about to enter a dangerous situation so you put on your bullet proof vest and a helmet with face shield. How do you know you can trust them if you are shot at? It's usually because the supplier has demonstrated the impenetrability of the equipment. They have taken you to the pistol range where they have placed one of their vests on a dummy. You have shot your weapon at the dummy and examined the results. Indeed, the vest has stopped the projectile. You don your vest with confidence because of the faith you have in it. God is even more faithful - and that faithfulness is a full body shield for us. But more than that, it is a wall (bulwark) behind which we can take shelter and turn the attack of the enemy. Isn't our God a great God? He sure has a way of protecting us if we so choose. Amen and Amen.