For Thought and Meditation - Tuesday, May 04

Good morning all. God is always with us. Have a safe and blessed day.

Tuesday, May 4, 2021 - Pastor Greg Laurie
Courageous Faith

“He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”
—Psalm 91:4

Fear is an overwhelming emotion that can take hold of us and cause irrationality to the point that we’re no longer dealing with reality. In fact, sometimes we can be more devastated by fear than the very thing we’re afraid of.

I spent part of my childhood in New Jersey, where on one cold morning, I was walking around the neighborhood with a newly acquired pair of cowboy cap guns. I had on my little belt with my holsters and guns, and I was feeling pretty tough.

But a couple of young hoodlums spotted me and starting pushing me around. Even worse, they confiscated my cap guns and started laughing at me. With empty holsters, I went home crying.

Then I told my brother what happened and asked him to help me get my guns back. He was five years older than me and a lot bigger.

So we went back and found the guys with my guns. Feeling great courage, I walked up and demanded that they give my guns back. My newfound boldness, however, didn’t come from who I was but because of who was with me.

Psalm 91:4 tells us, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler” (NKJV).

God will put His wings around us. He will protect us. And because of this, the psalmist is saying, we don’t have to be afraid. Why? Because He’s with us.

In addition, verses 9 and 10 include a promise: “Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you” (NKJV).

As we look at a frightening world, we can have courage—not because of who we are, but because God is with us.

I agree that fear can be paralyzing and the Lord can help us cope with fear.

But the scripture you quoted, “Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge, even the Most High, your dwelling place, no evil shall befall you” (NKJV), is one I cannot agree with. It is "feel good" stuff that provides false feelings of security and unrealistic expectations of what God will do to protect us from evil.

Evil does not affect only non-believers. It manifests itself on everyone and even the innocent. How many children are abused, raped, murdered....? How many of us who believe in Jesus carry guns every day because of the evil we are surrounded with? Do we need the 2nd Amendment if we believe God will protect us from evil?

God gives us a modicum of common sense and intelligence. It allows us to deal with evil. God has not defeated evil yet...that time will come. Until then, we need to be aware it is there and recognize He has given us the means to identify and deal with it as best we can.

A much needed lesson, Amen!

Thanks for the morning Scripture and message - Psalm 91 is a powerful protection

i love this one!!!!