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Psalm 91 is a message that has captured my heart from the moment I read it. The Psalmist writes, “if you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you.” Making the Lord your refuge simply means one views God as their place of safety. He is someone we turn to for assistance, guidance, and security. He’s our shelter from danger and hardship. To make the Lord your refuge begins with first trusting that he is God. One has to believe that he is the God who created the universe and that he cares enough about you to always be there for you. Trusting in the Lord provides us with wisdom. In Proverbs its states, “the fear of the Lord is the foundation of wisdom.” Fearing the Lord signifies a profound respect and a reverential awe of the creator. It conveys the intellectual depths of our understanding and allows one to grasps the profundity of his brilliance. When we acknowledge the gloriousness of God and regard that as first in our lives, it centers the respect God requires of us. We first must respect God before we could ever truly trust him. When one undeniably begins to trust in the Lord it drives this closeness that permeates a firm shield around you. One will start to experience peace that surpasses the understanding of the logical mind. There will arise a new level of confidence in one’s abilities because there’s a knowing that someone greater is behind you driving the force within you. It’s as if you invite the Lord into your home and ask him to stay permanently. Psalm 91:9-10 is making known that through the lens of grand respect and trust, one makes God their place of safety and protection and within that realm no evil will conquer you. What this verse is communicating is the overarching purpose that through faith and trust nothing malignant will overtake you. What I must make clear is that hard situations will come upon us and we will face challenges, but through partnership with God and allowing him to be the guiding force in our lives, nothing will take possession of us. God clearly states in that verse that He will not allow any evil to be in total control, because making him your place of refuge, you will always have a shield of protection around you. The way one will truly connect to this idea of making the Lord the place you call home is by knowing the wisdom of God. Once one accepts that God is the foundation of wisdom, one will then begin to develop the wisdom of God. God’s wisdom is having the ability to discern and judge what is just, proper, useful, and true. It’s growing in the knowledge and power that has been given to us through the Holy Spirit. Wisdom is spending time in the presence of God and communicating with him on a daily basis, its knowing the Word and learning his character and understanding that you have purpose and a reason for existing on the earth. Wisdom is powerful, Wisdom is God, and the only way to truly obtain spiritual wisdom is through fellowshipping with God. Wisdom allows one to make right choices that will ultimately benefit their future.

In continuing my study on Psalm 91 verses 14-16 struck like lightening in my spirit. It states, “The Lord says, 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.” Those verses hold so much power and clarity. God saves the people that love him because He is the source of our love. Loving God is a choice we make and an action we take daily. We live in a world that tell us to do the opposite. The world instructs one to live and move the way society is partaking and be lovers of self, but God teaches us to walk and live outside of societal norms. Living for God and choosing his way of operating on the earth will construct an internal enlightenment. The one who thinks this way is in the world but are not of the world. Truly loving God sets one apart, and it opens the mind to visualize the unpretentious meaning of love. This kind of love is selfless, honest, patient, truthful, enduring, and inviting. This kind of love cares about the needs of others and lives to help the world around them. This kind of love takes accountability and always put their best foot forward. This kind of love wants the best for everyone. This kind of love isn’t jealous, boastful or rude. This kind of love is God-fearing and when one walks in this kind of love God will always rescue them because that is the way He loves. In combination with love, God also protects those who trust in his name. One of the definitions of the word name is a verb meaning to call; to give appellation to. In this verse God is expressing that He will protect those who trust him enough to call on him FIRST. The verse continues stating that He will rescue and honor them, rewarding them with long life and salvation. To revere God as first in all things signals an unmerited act of adherence to the clairvoyant voice of God. The Lord respects and accepts those who put him first, He will save them from destruction and calamity. God wants to be our safe place and he desires for us to see him as our home. Home is a place for rest and peace, and the Lord wants to be that true internal peace for us. These verses bring forth the knowledge of God’s character and love for us. It shows how astounding the creator is. We get to experience through these texts a gaze of a God that is powerful and good. God desires to show himself to anyone that is truly willing to believe in him. He loves those who love him and regard as first in their life. Loving and honoring God is the only way one can truly experience the real meaning of home.