An abundant life
by Pastor Peter Bean
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The Lord is your protection; you have made God Most High your place of safety (Psalm 91:9).
Read Psalm 91:9–16
Many people say this is one of their favourite psalms. I can understand why. It is full of promises. If you read the whole psalm, you will see how verses 9 to 16 more or less parallel verses 1 to 8.
It is a psalm of confidence, hope, protection and abundant life. It is a psalm that was obviously spoken or written when the writer was in a good place, life was going well, the psalmist had recovered from a distressing time and the psalmist could look forward to an ongoing, abundant life. Which is terrific. And it would be a wonderful place to be in.
But we are not always in that place. In this world, life has a habit of hitting us in the face and slowing us down. When a relationship goes sour, a business fails, a friend dies suddenly, or illness strikes, life does not seem so good. Abundance can seem to have disappeared. We need to honour those times. They will not be enjoyable. They will take time to get through. They may leave us anxious or distressed. They may leave us frail and in ill health. Where is the protection, then? Where is the place of safety?
Perhaps that is the time to turn to this psalm again. (And perhaps not. Don’t flog yourself trying to feel good. Read the psalm when you are ready!) In her paraphrase, Nan Merrill renders verse 9: ‘I will surrender myself to you, abandoning myself into your hands without reserve.’ Can you do that? Can you turn to the Lord, surrendering life with all its ups and downs to him? Can you put your trust in him?
The reality is that God is your protection – even in the down times, as well as in the good times. Make God Most High your place of safety. And look forward to an abundant life.
God of comfort, protection and safety, please remind me of your presence in my life. Be with me in times of trouble. Be with me in times of abundance. Help us all to live in harmony. Amen.
In early October, Peter enjoyed a family camp with his children and grandchildren at Lake Bonney, South Australia. Then, he returned to weeding, planting, riding, reading and relaxing!
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