| Psalm 91:3 – 20 July 2018 |
Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.
NKJV
I often read Psalm 91 aloud to myself, personalizing the words as God’s special promise to me. I read these verses as: “Surely You deliver me from any snare of the fowler and from any perilous pestilence”.
Our glorious God is so huge and mighty! He is our omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent El Shaddai, and still we seem to get so focused on the works of the evil one, rather than on the powerful reality of our heavenly identity. Today He is reminding us that Jesus already broke the power of the enemy. He already delivered us from every snare of the fowler (a trapper of wild birds) and from any and every potentially dangerous pestilence, plague, or infectious disease, physical or spiritual. The biggest trap Abba’s kids seem to fall into is the deception that the enemy has some power over us. People live in fear of the “attacks” of the enemy rather than in the good and powerful fear of the Lord. Almost daily I hear people confessing that the enemy hates them or is at war with them. This may be true to a certain extent, but the more we confess it, the more we give darkness a power in our lives. We have to stop being impressed by the enemy! Dear friends, let the Holy Spirit remind you that we are not victims – we are victors! We are not at the mercy of the devil who has already been stripped of power by Jesus. We are recipients of the abundant mercy of our beautiful Savior and Lord!
Perhaps you have been looking at a current situation in your family, or your health, finances or city, and you felt weighed down, overwhelmed and under attack. Our Abba, the everlasting, mighty, all powerful Father God is speaking to us through this verse today, as He says “Did I not promise to be with you always and never let you go? Have I not proved Myself to you over and over, and shown you that My love is unstoppable, unrelenting, undying? I am calling you to higher ground, to see things through My eyes; to look at life from by My side. You will see that the enemy is very tiny when you look at him through My eyes. He has no power over you except what you give him in your mind. You are strong, invincible, and unbeatable, if you choose to abide in the impenetrable fortress of My love. I already won the battle. I already defeated every dark power. The one you see as your enemy is already defeated, dead, his hands are bound, and his feet. He has no claws, he has no teeth.”
When David wrote this psalm, he had already experienced the mighty hand of God protecting him from the attacks and unexpected traps of the evil one. Yahweh’s protection was a reality in his daily life. He was also looking ahead through the realms of eternity and seeing how the hand of the enemy would be vanquished through the powerful sacrifice of Jesus. For David, this was a glimpse of a future reality when he said “Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the perilous pestilence.” For us, this is our powerful, present reality. It is our Truth, that Jesus already overcame on our behalf. Now we can truly stand and claim that “no weapon formed against us can prosper”, hallelujah! There is so much we can take from this one verse of Scripture, but here are some things I would like to leave with you today:
• Be Sure. God’s promise is “surely I deliver you”. Our powerful Papa bear is never far away from His cubs, and comes to their rescue and their deliverance, even when they are straying away from His side. If you let your heart condemn you, you will not be able to call out to Abba with confidence. However, when we know and believe that He helps us not because of anything we could do, but because of the blood covenant we enjoy through Jesus, we can rest assured that God is our ever present help, and that He is here to help us.
• He has delivered us and He will continue to do so. Jesus is in the deliverance business! “For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.” There is nothing the enemy can throw at us which Jesus has not already conquered, hallelujah! Know and believe it. We are strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. We have already overcome, because of the eternal, authoritative, covenant blood of Jesus!
• Snares are a reality but Everlasting Yahweh is on our side. God is our Refuge and our Strength and our ever present help. He is a million steps ahead of any trick that manifests out of the darkness and He is never taken by surprise. When you cultivate the presence and the voice of God, you can tap into Him and hear Him tell you, “This is the way you should walk” or “Stay away from this path”. He has gone before us and lights up the way. He speaks to us what the enemy has kept hidden in the darkness. We have nothing to fear, so long as we are in the mighty fortress of our God!
• There is no “pestilence” Jesus has not dealt with already through the power of the cross, no infection, or plague however “noisome” or awful that can touch us. He already paid the price! “He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities. The chastisement for our peace was upon Him, and by His stripes we are healed.”Every sickness ever known on the face of the earth, and every new and emerging sickness (physical, mental, emotional, financial, digital!) have already been dealt with in the power of the cross. He already “killed” it on the cross, hallelujah! Today we can hold our heads high and keep our eyes on Jesus, unshaken by whatever is going on around us. We have total diplomatic immunity wherever we are! We will not fear the weapons of darkness, because we live in God’s amazing and marvelous light!
Dear friend, there is power in your identity in Jesus Christ. There is power in His promise of protection. You are safe and secure, an unshakeable fortress in the midst of the storm, and a shelter for those who come. Keep your eyes on Him, stay connected and assured, and see the enemy flee, as Abba says to you this day “Surely I deliver you from every snare you could meet. You are Mine, all Mine, and I will never let you go”!
