Where below you read "the deceased" Pastor Manuel
inserted the name of the individual.
Although it was only in the last few weeks of her hospitalization that I came to know the deceased, I appreciated the times we had together. On one such occasion, she mentioned her enjoyment of the Psalms. When I asked which were her favorites, she cited Ps 23, which we heard earlier. Then she read Ps 91 to me, which speaks about God's protection, and I thought that might be an appropriate text for some reflections as we remember her. What attracted the deceased to this psalm? What did she find compelling or comforting in this portion of God's word? Let me suggest a few reasons, some that she might have recommended to us. We do not know who wrote this psalm. Tradition ascribes it to Moses or to David. Whoever the author might have been, he was well-acquainted with God's protection, probably from his own experience in distressing situations, and he begins with a confident assertion:
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, "My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust!" (vv. 1-2)
I. God's protection is selective (Ps 91:1-2).
Here we see that God's protection is selective. Although God offers it to all, not everyone benefits from it—only those who dwell and abide with Him. This may seem impossible, given that God is in heaven and we are on earth, but it is a metaphor, a figure of speech. The psalmist explains that having God as a refuge and fortress is not a matter of being in the right place but of trusting in the right person. The deceased trusted in the right person. She knew that, while the hospital may have been the right place to treat the physical difficulties she was having, God was the right person to trust with her future.... The psalmist continues...
For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with His pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. (Ps 91:3-4)
II. God's protection is steadfast (Ps 91:3-4).
It is not just God's ability that makes people seek His protection, although He is certainly a very capable champion, it is also His dependability that they find attractive. God's protection is steadfast. No matter what happens, He will stand by those who put their trust in Him. Unfortunately, this is not something we learn well just by reading about it. Only by experiencing it does this truth make a full impression upon us. Only as we need God's protection repeatedly, do we come to appreciate the reliability of His care. The deceased certainly had ample opportunity to test this principle. As she experienced one physical problem after another, she could have given up hope, yet she did not.... The psalmist goes on to say...
III. God's protection is sweeping (Ps 91:5-6).
No matter what the problem, be it the threat of danger or danger itself; no matter when the problem arises, in the middle of the day or the middle of the night, there is no need to fear because God's protection is sweeping, comprehensive enough to cover any eventuality. The maladies the deceased had, especially near the end, caused her distress upon distress—a broken pelvis, blood clots, labored breathing, all products of the cancer rapidly wasting her body. What was conspicuously absent as I visited with her, what I might have expected to see but did not, was fear. She may have been in pain, but she always greeted my arrival with a smile. She may have been unable to talk, but she always listened eagerly as I read to her from God's word. She may have been struggling to breathe, but she always grew calmer when we prayed together. Some people might attribute her positive response to the psychological affect of a minister's presence. I have no such allusions about the power of my personality. What I have seen, with the deceased and with others, is the ability God has to calm people's fears as they recognize the scope of His loving care for them.... Later in this psalm, the author explains one way that God exercises His care.
For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. (Ps 91:11-12)
IV. God's protection is supernatural (Ps 91:11-12).
Alongside the physical plane we occupy, there is a spiritual plane we do not see, populated by powerful creatures that do God's bidding. They are angels, and the Bible mentions several instances when they enter our realm to help God's people, illustrating what the psalmist writes about here that, at times, God's protection is supernatural. Their appearance is not common, but the Lord does send angels on various occasions. One such instance is to help those who are passing from this life to the next. Jesus told the story of a "poor man" who, having suffered much in life, in death "was carried away by the angels" into heaven (Luke 16:22a).
The deceased, who also suffered much in life, expressed a particular interest in this part of the psalm, and she would often gaze upward. Was she simply watching for them, or was she actually watching them? We cannot be sure, yet we can be certain that if God thought it necessary, He could have sent angels to "bear [her] up in their hands." ...The psalmist closes his composition by quoting God's promise to the person who trusts in Him.
"He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. "With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation." (Ps 91:15-16)
V. God's protection is satisfying (Ps 91:15-16).
Having read the psalm, we might well wonder about its appropriateness for this occasion. The author extols God's care, citing the many ways that He protects people from harm, yet the lives of God's people often include suffering, some more than others. How do we reconcile that reality with the promise of this psalm? Some suffering, of course, we bring upon ourselves, by the poor choices we make. Other suffering, though, is not our fault. Does undeserved suffering mean that God has failed to keep us safe? This is a bigger question than we can answer here, yet there is at least one principle to bear in mind: We view our lives from the limited span of our existence here; God views our lives from the unlimited perspective of eternity. Moreover, He has our best interests at heart, interests seen by the wisdom and vantage point of the ages, which is ultimately why God's protection is satisfying. The "long life" He promises is not limited by the relatively short life we spend here. The deceased experienced much suffering, yet God was "with [her] in trouble" and "let [her] see [His] salvation," that which she is now enjoying eternally in His presence.
The author of Ps 91 relates several things about the protection God provides:
- God's protection is selective, available to all but enjoyed only by those who trust in Him.
- God's protection is steadfast, utterly dependable for those who place themselves in His care.
- God's protection is sweeping, comprehensive enough to cover any eventuality.
- God's protection is supernatural, and may include the work of angels on our behalf.
- God's protection is satisfying, extending far beyond this life to eternity in His glorious presence.
That is what the psalmist recommends to us, that we avail ourselves of God's protection, and that is what the deceased would also recommend to us, as she is even now in God's presence.
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Relevant and civil comments are welcome. Whether there will be any response depends on whether Dr. Manuel notices them and has the time and inclination to respond or, if not, whether I feel competent to do so.
Jim Skaggs