Psalm 91 – When fear lurks

Psalm 91 is a masterpiece.  Before reading on, you really must make sure that you have slowly read the whole psalm – maybe a couple of times!

In the light of the unfolding situation related to the Coronavirus, COVID-19, I have been struck by the poignancy of this magnificent psalm.  It is a psalm of reassurance, hope, and encouragement.  Whatever situation this unknown psalmist was facing when it was written, the psalm certainly resonates in the face of the current Coronavirus pandemic which has spread across the globe.

The psalmist begins by stacking up promises one on top of another and their scope is comprehensive.  These promises include deliverance from snares and pestilence, and being covered in the refuge and shielded by God (vv3,4).  However, the crucial element is that there is a lack of fear: no fear of the terror of the night; no fear of the attack by day; no fear of the pestilence which comes by night; no fear of the destruction which arrives by day (vv5,6).  It may be that the path you have to walk includes attack or pestilence or illness or tragedy, but even in the face of these, it is possible for your path to include no fear.  Fear does not have to overpower you.  Fear does not have to rule you.  Fear does not have to determine your actions.

Fear is debilitating and affects our decision-making.  It’s fear, combined with selfishness, which drives panic-buying.  It’s fear which makes us want to stockpile, thinking that this gives us some sort of insurance for the future.  It’s fear which looks at others with suspicion.  It’s fear which means that there is a lack of peace in our thoughts.  It’s fear which plays out the ‘What ifs?’ over and over again.

But the promises in Psalm 91 are not a carte blanche so we can believe that ‘nothing ever bad will happen to me if I trust in Jesus.’  Just read a few pages of the Bible and you’ll find that isn’t the case.  Look at Jesus: did anyone trust God any more than He did?  And look at what He had to endure in the shame, torture and death on a cross.  Or look at Paul: the man who dedicated his life to serving God, loved Him beyond measure, and yet was beaten, flogged, and shipwrecked.  He wrote, ‘We are afflicted in every way…perplexed…persecuted…struck down…’ (2 Corinthians 4:8,9).  No evidence from him that the road of trusting in God provides immunity from the troubles of life.

A trouble-free, charmed life is not what the psalmist is describing.  Actually, what they identify is that God is in control.  Whether He allows us to go through tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, danger or sword (see Romans 8:35), or whether He chooses to give us a different path, He is faithfully and relentlessly the same.  Remember Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego?  When facing the fiery furnace they declared, ‘If we are thrown into the blazing furnace, the God we serve is able to deliver us from it… But even if he does not, we want you to know, Your Majesty, that we will not serve your gods or worship the image of gold you have set up’ (Daniel 3:17,18).  They were utterly convinced that God could save them, but if He didn’t, He was still God – and still their God.  They were able to live free of fear even though they didn’t know what the future held.

It is this sort of faith which enables the psalmist to declare that evil will not come near, plague will not enter their home (v10), and that God will give them protection in situations of harm (vv11-13).  It is a robust, declarative faith which trusts in God for deliverance, while at the same time accepting that deliverance may look different from God’s perspective compared to ours.

Appealing to self-isolation, social-distancing, hand-washing, hand-sanitising, expert scientists, trends in other nations, herd immunity or demographic categories for hope is ultimately pointless.  These things may guide us so we can plan (in the case of statistics or experts).  They may be entirely sensible precautions (as in the case of hygiene).  But they will not guarantee protection.  They provide no firm foundation for our own personal security.

The ONLY appeal worth making is to God.  He alone is all-powerful, all-knowing and all-present.  He offers an answer when we call, His presence during trouble, rescue, honour, long life and protection for those who love Him (vv15,16).

So, in this psalm, the psalmist confronts us with a choice.  It’s a choice which has stood all down the ages, but feels particularly pertinent at this time as we face the Coronavirus situation.  The choice is this: will you fear or will you trust?  Are you prepared to make a decision to place yourself in the shelter of the Most High (v1)?  Are you willing to live in the shadow of His wing?  Are you prepared to declare that He is your refuge and strength (v2)?

Coronavirus may or may not directly affect you.  Psalm 91 says nothing about that.  But what it does say is that fear of the virus need not affect you.  It says that the possibility of immunity from viral fear is a reality for those who dwell in the presence of the One who is perfect love because we know that, ‘perfect love casts out fear’ (1 John 4:18).

When fear lurks at your door, decide to dwell in the shelter of the Most High.