Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 7

March 28, 2024

Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 7

One thing is clear and that is that Psalm 91 is one of the most powerful chapters in the entire Word of God. It protects us from all affliction, disease, trial, tribulation, and attacks from the enemy. Regardless of what you are facing, this Psalm has it covered. God mentions shelter from: destruction, calamity, the snares of the enemy, arrows by day, pestilence, and anything else that would come against you.

These are some really amazing promises that are given to us by the Lord. However, there are some stipulations that you need to follow in order to effectively apply these guarantees to your daily life. They are found in Psalm 91:1 and include: dwelling in the secret of the Most High and abiding under that shadow of the Almighty. These stipulations denote intimacy and fellowship with the Lord.

Unfortunately a lot of Christians do not take time out of each day and set it aside specifically for God. What that does is hinder your relationship with the Lord. Spending time with Jesus on a Sunday afternoon when you’re at church is not going to be enough. The Lord desires that every single one of us give Him our entire heart.

We are living in a time where things are getting darker and darker and we can’t afford to lay around unequipped. The more arsenals (God’s Word) that you have in your Scriptural memory bank, the more prepared you will be. Psalm 91 is one of those chapters that you want to get deep down in your spirit. Pray it over yourself and your family. Let it become a part of your entire frame of mind.

If you haven’t had a chance to read my other articles pertaining to Psalm 91, please take the time to. I am going to add them here: Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 1, Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 2, and Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 3, Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 4, Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 5, and Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 6.

Now let’s take a look at another promise that the Lord is giving us pertaining to His protection.

Psalm 91:13

“You shall tread upon the lion and the cobra, the young lion and the serpent you shall trample underfoot.”

Here we can see that the Lord is disclosing to us another level of protection that He is promising His children. Before we dive into this passage of Scripture I want to point out one that is very similar to it. Luke 10:19 reveals, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”

In this New Testament verse Jesus is giving us some key information pertaining to the authority we have through Him. He uses the words “trample” and “shall” when He lets us know the power that we have over all of the influence of the enemy. We have authority to trample on his kingdom and nothing shall harm us. He refers to the devil’s demonic minions as serpents and scorpions and similarly this Psalm references a lion, cobra, and a serpent. All of which can be put under our feet.

We need to keep in mind that there are stipulations that are attached to the promises that are found in Psalm 91. Take the time out and read the entire chapter so that you have a clear understanding of the requirements that the Lord has given us. One thing is for sure and that is that the Lord wants to have an intimate and personal relationship with every single one of us.

That is how we can be so close to Him that we literally become a part of His shadow of protection. Take a moment just to analyze your walk with the Lord Jesus Christ: is He the Lord over your life? Do you allow Him to have the driver seat? Are you obedient to His Word? Do you spend quality time with Him where it is just you and Him? These are the questions that you want to ask yourself when evaluating whether or not you truly know the Lord personally.

Now let’s take a closer look at the passage of Scripture that I am highlighting Psalm 91:13. The words “you shall tread” being used here is the Hebrew word “dāraḵ” which means: to tread on, tread upon. The words “the lion” being used here is the Hebrew word “šāḥal” which means: lion as hunted. The words “the cobra” being used is the Hebrew word “peṯen” which means: venomous serpent.

The words “the young lion” being used is the Hebrew word “kᵊp̄îr” which means: of bloodthirsty enemies. The words “and the serpent” being used is the Hebrew word “tannîn” which means: venomous serpent, dragon, sea monster.

So far what we can conclude is that God is telling us that we have the power to trample on the lion and the venomous snake. These are words that also represent the devil and his demonic kingdom. We need to learn how to walk in the authority that Jesus Christ has given us found in Luke 10:19. We “will” defeat the snares of the devil in the Name of Jesus Christ. As we dwell in the secret place with the Lord, we are under His protective umbrella safe from all bloodthirsty enemies that will ever come our way.

There are two passages of Scripture that disclose what the lion and serpent represents:

1 Peter 5:8 “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”

Revelation 12:9 “So the great dragon was cast out, that serpent of old, called the Devil and Satan, who deceives the whole world; he was cast to the earth, and his angels were cast out with him.”

In these verses of Scripture the Lord is making it clear to us that the devil is like a roaring lion and a serpent. In Psalm 91:13 the Psalmist goes even deeper on how much authority that we have over the enemy and his kingdom when he uses the words “trample underfoot.” The bottom line is that the devil is a defeated foe and is under our feet.

Now let’s dive into another aspect of Psalm 91 and that is when the Lord addresses us personally.

Psalm 91:14

“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.”

Here we can see a complete shift in the Psalm as the Lord address us personally giving us the result of dwelling in the secret place with Him. The Lord is letting us know that because we have placed our faith, trust, and belief in Him loving Him with our entire heart we are given tremendous promises. It is one thing to know Who the Lord is but it is an entirely different thing to know Him intimately.

The number one way that we can get to know the Lord is by reading His Word. Everything that we need to discern as believers of Jesus Christ is all found in the Bible. Every page is saturated with wisdom on the Lord’s character, His will for our lives, the guidelines on how we are to live our lives, warfare tactics on how to defeat the enemy, and so much more.

The more that you spend time in God’s Word allowing it to renew your entire frame of mind (Romans 12:2) the more that you will naturally want to know Him personally. You will develop a love for Him on a deeper level. Matthew 22:37 discloses the Lord’s great commandment, “Jesus said to him, “‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.” He is making it clear that He wants us to love Him completely above anyone and everything else.

Another key factor pertaining to loving the Lord is the willingness to obey His instructions for your life written in His Word. John 14:15 details Jesus making a significant statement “If you love Me, keep My commandments.” He is making it definitive that those that truly love Him will follow His principles. He has set them in place for our protection whether we realize it or not. It is always to our benefit to be doers of God’s Word and not hearers only, James 1:22.

Now let’s take a closer look at these very powerful promises found in Psalm 91:14. The words “he has set his love” being used here is the Hebrew word “ḥāšaq” which means: be attached to, and love. Once again this denotes intimacy or in other words you are connected to the Lord because of your personal one on one time with Him dwelling in the secret place (prayer closet).

The words “therefore I will deliver him” being used is the Hebrew word “pālaṭ” which means: bring into security. The words “I will set him on high” being used is the Hebrew word “śāḡaḇ” which means: set securely on high. Here we see two guarantees that the Lord is making to us and that is that when trouble or danger comes, He will set you securely on higher ground completely away from destruction and calamity.

Then the Lord goes back to the reason that these promises are even possible when the Lord states “because he has known My name.” The word “he has known” being used is the Hebrew word “yāḏa” which means: to know, know by experience. The words “My name” being used is the Hebrew word “šēm” which means: acknowledge personally, by implication honor, authority, and character.

The Lord is bringing this Psalm back to full circle from the stipulations that He gave us in Psalm 91:1. When you dwell in the presence of the Lord, abiding in His Word, spending quality one on One time with Him you will begin to develop a personal relationship with Him, it’s inevitable. This is how you will be able to know His character and understand His authority. You will know Him by your own experiences because He will be moving mightily in your life.

Just like you develop a relationship with your spouse, your children, and your family; you will establish a relationship with the Lord the same way and that is with dedicated time. The kind of intimacy and connection that you need to have with the Lord to become as if you are a part of His shadow will require effort on your part. A Sunday church service just will not do, He wants your entire heart and not just a piece of it.

Conclusion

The Lord has really been highlighting Psalm 91 to me in such a powerful way. It is your protective prayer for any adversity, trial, tribulation, or storm that you will ever face. It covers it all! In the times that we are living in we need to make it a point to have as much artillery (God’s Word) available as we possibly can. The enemy is not hiding anymore and in fact he is in plain sight with no apologies.

Let Psalm 91 be the first thing that you pray over yourself and your family every time that you wake up in the morning. Let it get so saturated in your heart and mind that it becomes a part of your thought process. When trying times occur, you will not have any time to pull out your Bible, Bible app, or a Google search. You have to have God’s Word already embedded in your heart.

Also, don’t forget to check out my other blogs:

Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 6

Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 5

Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 4

Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 3

Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 2

Psalm 91-God’s Protective Prayer-Part 1

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Fight Back

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Feed Your Spirit

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Renouncing

Breaking Spiritual Strongholds-Confess and Repent

Recognizing Spiritual Strongholds