Did you know there is a psalm in the Bible specifically written for hiking? Well…not exactly, but it is a great comfort to me as we go on our backpacking trips. 😁 (I added the words in parentheses.)
Psalm 91
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.[a]
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.“
3 Surely he will save you
from the fowler’s snare (being trapped)
and from the deadly pestilence (ticks, norovirus, etc.)
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield (protection) and rampart (a protective barrier).
5 You will not fear the terror of night (bears, mountain lions, rattlesnakes),
nor the arrow that flies by day (humans),
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”
and you make the Most High your dwelling,
10 no harm will overtake you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the cobra ;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent (mountain lion, rattlesnake).
14 “Because he[b] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him
and show him my salvation.”
The psalmist probably didn’t have in mind those things I put in parentheses (or who knows? Maybe at some point he did!) My parentheses are a bit whimsical, but protection from bears, mountain lions, snakes, disaster near my tent, humans who wish to do me harm, striking my foot against a stone? Awesome!! But we don’t want to miss that the whole of Psalm 91 concentrates on the power of God and His willingness to care for those who love Him. Note these paragraphs from Debbie McDaniel:
“This entire chapter of Psalm 91 is filled with the goodness and power of God. Great reminders that He faithfully works on behalf of those who love Him. And at the end of it all, God gives 8 reasons of why we do not have to fear.
He promises: ‘Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.’ Psalm 91:14-16
Psalm 91‘s Promises from God
- “I will rescue him…” (deliver, cause to escape)
- “I will protect him…” (set him on a high place)
- “I will answer him…” (respond to, speak)
- “I will be with him in trouble…” (in afflictions, in distress)
- “I will deliver him…” (rescue, to bring into safety)
- “and honor him…” (to make rich, strong, heavy with honor)
- “With long life will I satisfy him…” (to have abundance in the journey)
- “and show him my salvation.” (let him see my deliverance & victory)”
We see from this psalm that God is always there with those who love Him. We can take these promises to heart. It doesn’t mean that Christians will never have anything bad happen to them, but that God will be there through it all, and we can be assured that He is completely in control!
every day's just like starting over 