Other than the 23rd Psalm, Psalm 91 is probably the next favorite of many believers. It is the psalm prayed over husbands and sons in the military, over those facing cancer, divorce, or other overwhelming storms. It is a psalm we need in our hearts.
But, it can also be confusing—because we ask: “If God promises to deliver me, then why did my child die? Why did my husband walk out?”
Let’s consider this psalm carefully. Prepare your heart with music based on Psalm 91. This psalm has inspired many songs. Find hymns or spiritual songs with the same theme—a shelter in the storm.
1. Read the whole psalm slowly.
A. What promises do you find? What conditions? (Note verse references)
B. What evidence can you find in the psalm that God is not promising freedom from trouble? (Note verse references)
C. If a passage or picture catches your attention, stop and meditate. This is a dialogue with God, and He is speaking. Write down what you see and hear.
D. Ask the Lord to give you one picture, one passage, that He would like you to hide in your heart. Do it by the end of the week. Work on it daily.
2. Under His Shadow
A. Meditate on verse 1. There’s a condition and a promise. Find them.
B. What further insight does Song of Songs 2:3 give you about what it means to rest in His shadow?
3. Under His Wings
A. What maternal attributes of God can you see in verse 4a?
B. In Isaiah, God asks—can a mother forget the baby at her breast? She may — but I will not forget you. What comfort does this give you?
C. How does Jesus echo Psalm 91:4 in Matthew 23:37?
4. Did you know that Psalm 91:4-7 sustained the young Charles Spurgeon when he was a young pastor in the cholera epidemic?
5. He Will Command His Angels (Psalm 91:9-16)
A. Have you ever thought you may have had a rescue because of angels? If so, take a few minutes to write down your story succinctly.
B. What condition do you find in verse 9?
C. What amazing promises do you find in verses 10-13?
D. How do you reconcile these promises with the fact that harm does seem to come to believers who have made the Lord their refuge?(Corrie and Betsie ten Boom’s story may help.)
6. How did Jesus experience both harm and a rescue? How can you see Him in the psalm?
7. As you contemplate this psalm, as you hide His Word in your heart—what particularly stands out to you and why?
