By Jeff Cranston

Where do you feel most secure? For some of us, it's a place. Have you ever been inside of a cabin with a roaring fire going and enjoyed the wonderful, comfy, cozy, warm feeling as a storm raged outside? It's a great sensation, knowing that you are protected and safe from the storm. For others of us, the secure place may be a mental or an emotional state. When I think about feeling secure and safe, the picture below immediately comes to mind:

That's me and my Dad. This picture says it all for me. Tucked up against him, under his arm, safe from the world and its dangers. This photo has taken on a new significance for me since Dad passed into the arms of Jesus and the environs of heaven just a few days before Christmas in 2019.

Let me ask you another question: Where or when do you feel the most insecure or vulnerable? Boarding a plane? Facing a crowd? Public speaking? Starting a new job? Did you know that Jesus experienced physical reactions to an even greater extent than you or I ever have because of the situation He was in? 

In Luke 22, we see Jesus praying in the Garden of Gethsemane so intensely that He bled. Jesus begs God, "Father, if you are willing, take away this cup of suffering." The first one to hear His heart was His Father.

When life is draining and there seems to be no time or place to escape for a while, the words of Psalm 91 are reassuring, comforting, and encouraging. We find remarkable promises of security to those who place their trust in God in this psalm:

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!” For it is He who delivers you from the snare of the trapper and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under His wings you may seek refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and bulwark. You will not be afraid of the terror by night, or of the arrow that flies by day; of the pestilence that stalks in darkness, or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but it shall not approach you. You will only look on with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. For you have made the Lord, my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place. No evil will befall you, nor will any plague come near your tent. For He will give His angels charge concerning you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, that you do not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra, the young lion and the serpent you will trample down. Because he has loved Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him securely on high, because he has known My name. He will call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With a long life I will satisfy him and let him see My salvation. (Psalm 91, NASB)

The psalmist reminds us that we can trust the Lord to be powerfully close to us. Where do you dwell? Do you dwell in the pandemic news cycle? In your own fear? Your own self-doubt? Do you dwell in anger? Do you dwell in what could have been?

Or do you dwell in the shelter of the Most High God, the Holy King of heaven who promises to protect and keep you? In His shadow and in His shelter, you can find strength, comfort and rest for your soul.

We can trust the Lord to provide for our safety. Let Him keep you from fear. Are we immune from danger? No. But regardless of the physical, emotional or financial battles surrounding us, the Lord Himself is our refuge. Troubles and trials will come, but He will deliver. 

We can also trust the Lord to bless us. When our response to Him is love, then He will rescue us. When we acknowledge His name and honor Him, He honors us. When we call on Him in prayer because He is our God in whom we trust, He will answer.

So, let me ask you one more time: Where do you feel the most secure? I don’t know how you answered that earlier, but how would you answer it now? The psalmist reminds us that the most secure place for you and me is to be under His protective care.

Jeff Cranston is the lead pastor of LowCountry Community Church in Bluffton, South Carolina.