Psalm 91: 9-16 (NRSV)
Read Psalm 91: 9-16 on biblegateway.com
Verse 9Because you have made the Lord your refuge, the Most High your dwelling place,
Verse 10no evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent.
Verse 11For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
Verse 12On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
Verse 13You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Verse 14Those who love me, I will deliver; I will protect those who know my name.
Verse 15When they call to me, I will answer them; I will be with them in trouble, I will rescue them and honor them.
Verse 16With long life I will satisfy them, and show them my salvation.
Devotion
“Come on and jump, I’ll catch you!” What father hasn’t said that to a son or a daughter? Maybe it was at the end of the dock on a lake, or on the second step of the stairs. At first my children always made sure that I had my hands out in front before they would jump. Eventually, after a few catches, they would jump even if I had my hands behind my back.
That element of trust is what the writer of this Psalm had in mind. God is bound to us, tied to us in love, and because of that commitment we can trust his promises to catch us. If we have any doubts, or a strong need to see his hands stretched out towards us, we need only look at the nail-scarred hands of Jesus. It is those same hands that will catch us when we fall.
Prayer
Lord God, remind us of your promises, and help us to trust your strong arms of love. Through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.