In the Shadow
Notes
Transcript
In the Shadow
In the Shadow
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
Refuge - “Condition of being safe or sheltered from pursuit, danger, or trouble.”
The writer declares his own faith in the Lord before applying it to us.
Verse one suggests intimacy with God
Then the writer makes a declaration “I will say to the Lord...”
The Relationship
The Relationship
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
In times like this, we must rely on the Lord to give us strength. Strength is exactly what we all need to be the church we are called to be.
Intimacy happens when we connect to the Lord through prayer, meditation, reading His word, listening for His voice and serving others in his name.
8 Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.
Look at the 4 divine names he uses.
Most High-which cuts every threat down to size
Almighty (Shaddai) is the name which sustainee the homeless Israelites in the desert.
The Lord (Yahweh) the name Moses was assured that “I am with you.”
God a general term which is made intimate “my God.”
The Declaration
The Declaration
2 I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
The writer says “I will say to the Lord...” He is determined to seek the blessing of the Lord.
Psalm 91:
Our mindsets must be “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
The world cannot be our source of strength. The world should clearly see that during times like these the church takes refuge in the Lord and we want others to share in the same hope we have.
That doesn’t mean we don’t listen to wisdom and direction from medical doctors and our elected officials. We pray for them to be enlightened, to be given divine wisdom while working through this crisis. We do what is asked as long as it is not unethical or immoral.
Now if you are held up somewhere in a bunker eating MRE right now thinking the four horses of the apocalypse have been released, calm down.
The church is still here and with the right mindset and relationship with God the Father we can be the hands and feet of Jesus now.
The Response
The Response
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday.
Verses 3-6 describe dangers that are mostly unseen, that strike anyone regardless of strength.
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.
v.3 “snare of the fowler” are metaphors for the plot which would interfere with our lives, compromise our loyalty.
v.3 “snare of the fowler” are metaphors for the plot which would interfere with our lives, compromise our loyalty.
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
v.5a “terrors of the night” ‘pestilence that stalks’ and destruction that wastes’ are ills that attack our mind, the body, by human and non human agents
v.5a “terrors of the night” ‘pestilence that stalks’ and destruction that wastes’ are ills that attack our mind, the body, by human and non human agents
4 He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
psalms 91:
pinions-outer part of the birds wings, including flight feathers.
God’s care for us is combines the warm protection of a parent bird with the hard, unyielding strength of armour
God’s care for us is combines the warm protection of a parent bird with the hard, unyielding strength of armour
God will either deliver him from or help him through some of life’s problems.
What are we facing right now?
Our health, some have written this virus off as something blown out of proportion, but today the NBA, the MLB, all collegiate sports and UIL events have been shut down. And for the worlds most worshipped things to be shut down, that should get our attention.
Our economy, I visited with a young man just a few days ago who was laid off. These are real issues affecting our church family, our community and our nation, in fact the world. What is the Lord going to do in this crisis? How will pan out today? Here are a few ways I believe God will use it for good.
28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose.
pan out today? Here are a few ways I believe God will use it for good.
pan out today? Here are a few ways I believe God will use it for good.
As Christians, we will press into him more and walk closer with Him.
The church will be asked to do more practical things to serve each other. Reach out by phone call, texts, social media. See a need and if you are able fill the need. Call someone up and pray with them.
Our families will grow closer because we are forced to slow down.
See a need and if you are able fill the need.
Share your hope in Christ.