Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place – the Most High, who is my refuge – no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. (Psalm 91:9-10 ESV)
Recently a friend posted the entire Psalm 91 on Facebook. She mentioned she was standing on the Word and that ‘no illness was going to come near her home’ because she was dwelling in the Lord.
Not long after her original post, a friend of hers commented stating that she was a fellow believer, that their family was dealing with a serious illness and that she was also dwelling in the Lord and trusting Him through the trial. I read their ongoing public interaction and found myself in tears of confusion.
You see, as I wrote this, I was waiting to hear back on some test results. The trial of waiting for the results is trial enough for me! I needed to wrap my brain around these two wonderful women’s interpretation of this passage. I sat with the Lord, and asked Him to show me. It wasn’t long until I felt lead to go look up Matthew Henry’s commentary:
1.) That, whatever happens to them, nothing shall hurt them (v. 10): "There shall no evil befal thee; though trouble or affliction befal thee, yet there shall be no real evil in it, for it shall come from the love of God and shall be sanctified; it shall come, not for thy hurt, but for thy good; and though, for the present, it be not joyous but grievous, yet, in the end, it shall yield so well that thou thyself shalt own no evil befel thee. It is not an evil, an only evil, but there is a mixture of good in it and a product of good by it. Nay, not thy person only, but thy dwelling, shall be taken under the divine protection:
Some of you reading this may be waiting for test results as well or perhaps to see how the Lord will take you through your diagnosis. I pray that like me, you found some peace with the understanding that, ‘there shall be no real evil in it, for it shall come from the love of God and shall be sanctified’.
Jesus, I thank You that You love us something fierce. Help us to turn our faces towards You as we walk and wait, knowing that You are still the faithful and wonderful Shepherd that walks with us. Amen.
