vs. 5 – is spoken like a promise: thou shalt not or a command, even.

The promise is if I dwell & abide I will not be afraid, which is the opposite of the trust I declared in vs. 2.  But, it could be a command to “fear not”, in which case I need to dwell & abide in order to have the guts to obey it.  And look at what I’m not supposed to be afraid of:

terror in the dark & arrows shooting at me in broad daylight!

Terror is hard not to be afraid of.  It will take some Holy Spirit Filling and some super-natural power to overcome terror-but GOD promised…And someone very evil and focused on my destruction enough to shoot me down with flying arrows (darts of the wicked) in broad daylight(where I’m vulnerable) is very frightening-but GOD promised-NO FEAR-Not with Him!

I’m glad You see in the dark, LORD – Thank You; and I’m glad I do trust You, that You have my back-always.  I know no one’s arrows can get past You!  Thank You!

vs. 2  I need to make the decision of the psalmist in verse 2 because  verse 3-7 is coming.  Determine ( I will ) to brag on God’s goodness to me (say of the LORD.)

Remember, I’m abiding in that shadow, that pleasant, secret place; now it’s the shadow of a great, high fortress lined with battle armaments poised for my protection, so I can say…I trust Him.

vs 3 All kinds of dangers and attacks buffet me, but GOD, in His love and loyal care considers all worthy to protect me from.  Be it the snare of a person who seems to hunt me, or a (vs 4) sickening pestilence that is clinging to all those around me.  GOD Promises to be that very shield and buckler to fend off these attacks.  His truth, it says, shall be, it says.  That’s a promise.  His truth is His Word, and that is JESUS – my Knight in Shining Armour!.

vs. 4 He becomes the Bird!  When persued by the fowler, He covers me with His feathers! and hides me under His wings!  He saves me-delivers me-by He Himself taking my place as the target of this fowler, just as He did for me at the cross.—WOW!

The noisome pestilence is a deadly disease, highly infectious.  I know, LORD, You protect me continually from harms and pitfalls on my path, and hedge about my loved ones, church family, home and workplace.  Later the psalmist speaks of thousands falling all around me, and I see and feel Your powerful protection on me, my family, and everything that concerns me-Thank You!  So much you do for me I am totally oblivious to, but I do see You working for me in everything that happens and all the blessings and trials You bring to me.  Thank You!

This noisome pestilence also hits my heart as a plague of  sin; striking down all it touches, bringing death and misery.  Highly infectious, we spread it ourselves.  The deliverance from the pestilence is placed AFTER the snare of the FOWLER.  We all could, at times. have a ‘fowler’ on our tail, but there is a Fowler (who is foul) who has already laid a trap for mankind, and we’ve all been caught in it;  and he is in hot pursuit!  If we don’t seek refuge under God’s soft, white wings, and say “in Him will I trust“, the noisome pestilence will destroy us.

And, Christian, if you are not abiding in His secret place and really living the words of vs2,  the noisome pestilence can still get you, and cause you to fall into sin.-You did not claim His promises-meet His conditions, stay under His shadow or in His feathers and make God’s Word your truth-which is your shield. (That means you live by it) And you did not call God your refuge and your fortress (That means you run to God, not to some one or something else)

Lord, I am so glad that I have you to run to .  I am sorry that I have murmured about loneliness and complained, “I’m all alone.” If I did have someone,  I would not have turned to You or clung to You as I had in the past.  That (as You knew) is what began our relationship, and it has grown and grown over time.  It’s always been You-there listening, teaching (and I’m a hard case), giving, hugging my heart, and bapping me on the back of the head, too!  Thank You, I Love You!

This psalm is so full of promises. -What A blessing !

vs. 1.  These promises are spoken so matter-of-fact; but all of God’s promises are a sure thing.-SOLID.

I am living in God’s shadow, within His sight, under His protection, in his reach, when I am a Christian, but perhaps this says something deeper. I  am all of these things but too often I side-step God’s safety net and step from His shadow (on purpose) which is not done by the Christian who is abiding.

In order to claim God’s very solid promise opening this psalm, I must see it is given to one dwelling – living with God in His secret place.  That’s intimate.  He calls Himself “Most High“.  This most amazing, excellent, “most popular” person is so seeking a special, intimate relationship just for Him with me that He has put out all these enticing, life improving  promotions (promises).

-Am I seeking Him too?  Am I making Him feel our relationship is all        “one-way”?

-Do I really share things with Him?

If I am dwelling properly – in peace and harmony- I will abide in that place.  Under God’s shadow is also a submissive position, I believe. (He can’t keep me safe if I don’t follow the “rules of the house”.)  One who abides is not constrained or forced.  Abiding sounds pleasant.  When I live pleasantly in a right relationship with Jesus, His wonderful Presence is with me-always.  Seeking and following the Holy Spirit’s leadership and direction provide  power to do what’s right; I get God, the Most High’s protection and get to live in His secret place!

When thy friends despise, forsake thee…

Some of the most painful things we face are not physical hurts.  We’ve heard it said, “I would rather you had punched me in the mouth,” or, “it felt like a kick in the stomach.”

Jesus felt it – All His devoted followers and FRIENDS forsook and denied even knowing Him in the very hour He needed their support.  Those He fed and healed of their blindness and leprosy and shared His secrets with.

I challenged and warned my Sunday School girls that this weeks’ lesson would present itself an opportunity for us to follow Jesus’ example of compassion and look beyond our own hurts and offended selves ( which is rooted in pride and arrogance, traits in us God says He hates ) when He prayed as He hung, hurting and bleeding on our behalf from His cross, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.”

We must also, to be faithfully following our Wonderful Saviour in a worthy manner, realize that people “know not what they do” and that Jesus’ desire for us is to forgive.

LORD help us.

It is a good thing to give thanks unto the LORD….To shew forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night, …