Psalm 91: Supernatural Protection in Times of AnxietySample

WHO RULES US IN TROUBLE?

Fear is human. Almost like a reflex of our nervous system, it feels inevitable when we face a situation that threatens our safety or the well-being of those we love. Since we live in a fallen world, fear is actually a gift God has given us within the range of emotions He created—to prepare us and help us respond the right way.

That word—“rightly”—is key. There are many ways to face overwhelming situations, but not all would receive God’s approval.

• Fear first reminds us that we are fragile.
• As Christians, the next step is remembering that, despite our weakness, the God we serve and entrust ourselves to is Almighty.
• In adversity, we choose His shelter as our refuge, because no challenge is too big for Him and no resource of ours too small for Him to multiply.
• And God, always attentive to the cries of His people, declares: “I will rescue him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble” (Psalm 91:14–15, NIV).

On day one, we ruled out recklessness as an option. But here we must also reject the over-spiritualization that often tempts us—the kind that denies even the most obvious reality, like fear itself. Jesus Himself experienced anguish in Gethsemane.

The one who walks in the fear of the Lord acknowledges that the enemy is powerful, but never greater than God. And so, even while afraid, we move toward Him, trusting that He alone can give us what we need to endure with a strength that isn’t human. That’s when we can say, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”

We don’t get to choose whether fear arises. But we do decide whether it rules us. No one can serve two masters—and fear, as much as wealth, can enslave us if we let it lead.

How different the scene becomes when, despite our anxiety, we can pray: “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”