A Look at Psalm 91:1, Pt 3

We now come to some practical application of the doctrinal truths we looked at from this wonderful verse: He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. - Psalm 91:1

If we learned nothing else from this verse, we should have learned that all who entrust themselves into God’s hands can remain secure under His protection in the midst of all dangers.

This being true, what does this imply by way of application?

First and foremost, it is a correction and rebuke for all who trust in anything besides God. The simple fact is that many trust in created things against God. Nothing could be more foolish. Some trust in created things without God. Again, very foolish. But equally foolish and equally sinful is to trust in created things in conjunction with God. Our hearts are all so naturally idolatrous and image oriented that we would rather trust in something we can see with our physical eyes and feel with our hands. Yet God is invisible. This does not mean that we deny His existence, but that like idolatrous Israel, we want to worship Him through things we can see and touch. That is why it seems so hard to calmly trust God when things are not doing smoothly (by our definition).

Secondly, for those of us who do trust God, we are encouraged to do so with whole-heartedness. One thinks of the Disciples’ faith after a night of great disappointment. In faith they say to Christ, “We have toiled all night, nevertheless at Your word…” (Luke 5:5).

Trust is displayed also by the waiting of faith when success is delayed. Only greed and impatience must have instant gratification.

One thinks as well of Job and His resolution of faith. He says, “Though He slay me…” (Job 13:15). I don’t think Job thought God would kill him. The point is simply that Job was humbly submissive to God’s sovereignty and would trust in Him even if He slew him. Daniel’s friends exhibited the same trust when they told the king that they would not bow to his image even if God did not save them (Daniel 3:16 - 18).

Trust submits to God gladly. It lets God order things as He pleases (Mat. 6:33).

If it be foolish to trust the creature against, without or together with God, then there must certainly be great wisdom in trust. Settle your mind as to present needs, and let God worry about the future. Jesus told us to pray, “Give us this day our daily bread.” He did not say, “Give us now our bread for the next 35 years.” We live most safely and securely when we let go of the reigns and entrust ourselves wholly to God’s care.