Psalm 91: Supernatural Protection in Times of AnxietySample

PROTECTION BEYOND THE VISIBLE

We live in times when—even without realizing it—we are immersed in a prosperity theology that distorts the gospel and God’s promises for our lives. We may think that, because we’re not promoting flashy televangelists, we’re safe from this error. But that’s not true. We fall into a dangerous prosperity gospel every time we:

• assume God owes us something, specially in the middle of suffering,
• think His promises of protection cancel out Jesus’ warning that “in this world you will have trouble,”
• reduce God’s blessing to material things, success, or comfort,
• measure His faithfulness by the absence of problems,
• believe sickness or suffering always means a lack of faith,
• use Bible promises superficially, almost like “good luck charms,” instead of trusting His character,
• care more about what God can give us now than who He is and what He has already given us in Christ—who Himself experienced suffering,
• forget that the cross and suffering are the path of the Christian life, not obstacles to avoid with a Bible in hand,
• think God is more committed to our immediate happiness than to our spiritual growth,
• or see the gospel as a formula for “improving my life,” rather than a call to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Christ.

Psalm 91 is an incredible source of comfort. Yet it can be deeply misunderstood when read through a prosperity lens. Its many promises, packed into just a few verses, encourage us to keep walking by faith—but always remembering their ultimate fulfillment is in Christ and eternity, not the removal of every difficulty here on earth.

We rejoice in the covering of His wings, in the refuge of His shield, and we discover that fear no longer rules us—because He is with us. And maybe, like Stephen, even in the darkest adversity, we may see heaven opened before us.

We don’t know in exactly what form His protection will show up, but we can be certain it will always be supernatural. And we cling to His promises in the midst of suffering, even when they arrive in ways we didn’t expect.