Are You Talking To Me
Psalm 91
Anytime reading through the Scriptures if it's a narrative I am reading it is readily understandable who is speaking to who, and usually it is apparent why. For instance when the Lord said to Adam, Where art thou? there was no other choice. Adam was the only man in existence. Or for Saul on the road just outside of Damascus,
Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? Saul: Who art thou Lord?
I am Jesus whom you are persecuting.
Occasionally some narrative seem a little trickier, but usually they are easy to follow.
But when you have a Bible reading plan that you read a chapter in Psalms and another in Proverbs, sometimes that perspective can get a little blurry. This morning I read Psalm 91. There is no forward telling who wrote it or why. Still there are grand truths about our God and aspirations stated in it
Who so dwelleth in the secret of the most High, shall abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say unto the Lord, O mine hope, and my fortress: he is my God, in him will I trust.
Psalms 91:1 - 2 GNV
Who wrote that? Well, there are several in David's time who could have written that. But as for David's time, uh, Psalm 90 was written by Moses, not David's time. Still many could write that, maybe put it on a nice picture to show others. But then reading...
Thou shalt not be afraid of the fear of the night, nor of the arrow that flyeth by day: Nor of the pestilence that walketh in the darkness: nor of the plague that destroyeth at noon day. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand, but it shall not come near thee.
Psalms 91:5-7 GNV
Now that is bold. Certainly the three friends didn't have the smell of smoke when they were called to come out of the fiery furnace heated seven times hotter than normal, but not every Hananiah, Mishael, and Azariah could say the fourth man with them was like the Son of God. The great Apostle Paul didn't part the Dardanelles Strait to walk on dry land from Asia to Macedonia like Moses at the Red Sea.
And toward the end of Hebrews 11 not everyone who trusted the Lord in faith got out of their particular trial alive.
They were stoned, they were hewn asunder, they were tempted, they were slain with the sword, they wandered up and down in sheeps skins, and in goats skins, being destitute, afflicted, and tormented:
Hebrews 11:37 GNV
So not every writer of the Psalms had a thousand fall at his side, ten thousand at his right hand. Some may say, But this writer was writing about the coming Messiah.
For he shall give his Angels charge over thee to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee in their hands, that thou hurt not thy foot against a stone.
Psalms 91:11-12 GNV
The devil tried that one directly to the Messiah too. (see Matthew 4, Luke 4)
How did I get on this line of thought? The first time reading through Psalm 91 I thought, Yeah, no ten thousands fall at my right hand. There are parts that I can apply but not the whole of the psalm. But then I read in Proverbs.
Be not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart imagineth destruction, and their lips speak mischief.
Proverbs 24:1-2 GNV
Reading this opened my thoughts up to the fact that the Psalms are man to God, God to man. The Proverbs are basically giving insight man to self, man to man, children to parents, parents to children, just giving insight to how relationships work best and what doesn't. Then going back to Psalm 91 there I saw that there is truth in my relationship with an unseen God, there are unseen enemies, and who can tell how many have fallen in my fight, how many times my foot has literally been kept from being dashed (Lord, don't forget the bare toed and the kitchen chair).
So grasp hold of that truth that we are in the shadow of the Almighty and He alone keeps us. You can say truly, I trust in Him. He is speaking to us. We should speak back to Hims in trust and praise
For thou hast said, The Lord is mine hope: thou hast set the most High for thy refuge.
Psalms 91:9 GNV
And in the end He will speak directly to us and of us.
Because he hath loved me, therefore will I deliver him: I will exalt him because he hath known my Name. He shall call upon me, and I wil hear him: I will be with him in trouble: I will deliver him, and glorify him. With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.
Psalms 91:14-16 GNV
As much as we want a face to face conversation with Jesus we need to be listening because sometimes He literally is speaking directly to us.