Tuesday, January 15, 2013

Need Protection? Call Psalm 91!

As I am writing this, today is January 15.  I believe I've shared this before on here, so if I have, bear with me.

It was on this date in 1991 that my faith and who I was got put to the test in a major way.  In case you have forgotten, it was about this time in 1991 that our Armed Forces were in the Middle East getting ready to kick Saddam Hussein and the Iraqi forces out of Kuwait.  I was in the Army National Guard at the time here in Oklahoma and our unit was on "standby".  I knew that meant that there was a possibility I could have been sent over to fight, so I really had to learn to trust in the Lord.  And fittingly, Psalm 91 was the Scripture that immediately came to mind. From the New Living Translation...



1Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
9If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”

I took this to mean that if our unit was called to go, I have this assurance that God and His angels would protect me.  Of course you know the rest of the story...after kicking Saddam's butt out of Kuwait, President Bush the elder called a cease-fire and that was the end of that.

So I can imagine what the men and women today who are having to go to Afghanistan are going through...and those who have gone over all this time.  They don't know what's going to happen over there, but (at least to me anyway) they have the assurance that if they trust in the Lord and seek refuge in Him, He will protect them.

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