God Speaks
90 A prayer of Moses, the man of God.
1 Lord, through all the generations
you have been our home!
2 Before the mountains were born,
before you gave birth to the earth and the world,
from beginning to end, you are God.
3 You turn people back to dust, saying,
“Return to dust, you mortals!”
4 For you, a thousand years are as a passing day,
as brief as a few night hours.
5 You sweep people away like dreams that disappear.
They are like grass that springs up in the morning.
6 In the morning it blooms and flourishes,
but by evening it is dry and withered.
7 We wither beneath your anger;
we are overwhelmed by your fury.
8 You spread out our sins before you—
our secret sins—and you see them all.
9 We live our lives beneath your wrath,
ending our years with a groan.
10 Seventy years are given to us!
Some even live to eighty.
But even the best years are filled with pain and trouble;
soon they disappear, and we fly away.
11 Who can comprehend the power of your anger?
Your wrath is as awesome as the fear you deserve.
12 Teach us to realize the brevity of life,
so that we may grow in wisdom.
13 O Lord, come back to us!
How long will you delay?
Take pity on your servants!
14 Satisfy us each morning with your unfailing love,
so we may sing for joy to the end of our lives.
15 Give us gladness in proportion to our former misery!
Replace the evil years with good.
16 Let us, your servants, see you work again;
let our children see your glory.
17 And may the Lord our God show us his approval
and make our efforts successful.
Yes, make our efforts successful!
91 1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night,
nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness,
nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side,
though ten thousand are dying around you,
these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes,
and see how the wicked are punished.
9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer;
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life
and give them my salvation.”
Source: New Living Translation: BibleGateway.com
We Respond
Reflection: Psalms 90 and 91 are treated as one entry in the One Year Pray for America Bible NLT (April 23 entry), therefore so will this blog. Psalm 90 is attributed to Moses. It is a prayer by one of the most revered men of God. It is the prayer of a man who knew God well. Therefore, it should be considered as a model for our prayers. In verses 1 and 2 Moses addresses God’s stability and longevity and thus reliability. In contrast humans can be blown away like dust, are limited by time, grow up quickly, and wither like grass. Moses notes that God’s anger at our wickedness is justified. He acknowledges that our lives are short and full of trouble. Because of this, we must turn back to God and seek wisdom from Him. Then, God will be compassionate and satisfy us with His lovingkindness. By His wonder-working power the LORD will give us gladness in proportion to our previous sadness. Moses asks God to reveal His work and confirm the work of His people’s hands.
Psalm 91 speaks of the security and protection that is provided by trust in the LORD. It is known as the warrior’s psalm. Although it is often prayed as a protection against physical harm and danger, Psalm 91 is more appropriately applied to spiritual warfare. It conveys warnings to run to the shelter of the LORD in the midst of all the circumstances Satan and his forces use to try to distract, disrupt, disturb, destroy, disable, or cause the death of the people that God created and chose for His own. This running to the LORD and all of the resources He has provided applies to our dealings with all three of our enemies–the world system, our corrupted human nature, and satanically controlled beings; however, if we continually live in Christ, the LORD promises, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with long life and give them My salvation.” (Psalm 91:14-16 NLT)
Prayer: Dear LORD God, Thank You for Moses. He definitely earned the right to be called one of the most revered men of God. He is a man who knew God well. Therefore, I do consider his intercession to be a model for my prayers. Thank You that You are more stable than the mountains and will last longer than the stars. After all, You created them. I can rely on You forever. In contrast we humans can be blown away like dust, are limited by time, grow up quickly, and wither like grass. It is by Your mercy that I even draw breath. As Moses noted, Your anger at my wickedness is justified. I acknowledge that my life is short and full of trouble. Because of this, I must turn back to You and seek wisdom from You alone. Then You, LORD God, will be compassionate and satisfy me with Your lovingkindness. By Your wonderworking power, You will give me gladness in proportion to my previous sadness. I humbly ask, “Please reveal how and where You are working and to confirm the work of my hands.”
In Psalm 91, LORD, You speak of the security and protection You provide to those who trust in the LORD. It is a warrior’s psalm. Although I have often prayed it as protection against physical harm and danger, it is more appropriately applied to spiritual warfare. It is like the warning sirens that tell me to run to the bomb-shelter that is You, LORD. All of the circumstances listed in Psalm 91 are used by Satan and his forces to try to distract, disrupt, disturb, destroy, disable, or cause the death of the people You created and chose for Your own. Thank You that I am one of them. This running to You, LORD, and all of the resources You have provided applies to all three of my true enemies–the world system, my own corrupted human nature, as well as satanically controlled beings. If, however, I continually live in Christ, You promise, LORD, “I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in My name. When they call on Me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. I will reward them with long life and give them My salvation.” I know by experience that You do keep Your promises. AMEN
Action: (Ask God, the Holy Spirit, if He wants you to work on one of the suggestions below or something else more personal that He points out.)
- I will use these Psalms in interactive prayer–letting each phrase (God speaks) guide me as to what I should pray back to Him (we respond).
- I will ask the LORD to reveal how He is working and to confirm the work of my hands.
- I will research the spiritual weapons God has provided and practice to become comfortable in using them.
- I will memorize Psalm 91:14-16.
Share: I plan to share what I’ve learned with __________