¹He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. ²I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!”

Inscribed on sympathy cards and beloved by many believers during times of grief, heartbreak, or overwhelming misfortune, the first two verses of this psalm encourage believers, against all earthly hope, to hold on to God, who will protect and rescue them. These Spirit-inspired words plumb the depths of our souls in a way that logic or factual prose cannot. Metaphors expand our understanding and give comfort comprehendible only to those in the throes of suffering. They paint a memorable picture of truth that can be applied to many different circumstances.

This psalm brings us great comfort with picturesque words like shelter, shadow, refuge, fortress, snare of trapper, pestilence, pinions and wings of birds, shield, and bulwark. These words conceptualize God’s protection for those who trust in Him. Verse 1 gives us a truism applicable to all, followed by verse 2, the confession of individual, personal faith. Dwelling in God’s shelter and in His shadow symbolizes how God meets us in our deep need, providing security and protection as for one who lives in an impenetrable fortress.

But this trustworthy God, of whom the psalmist writes, is not just a generic deity. He describes God with four names (or epithets), the knowledge of which buoys up all who commune with Him.

• The Most High (Heb. elyon) provides a dwelling place, high and above all that troubles us. There is nothing and no one higher or greater than God, so to commune with Him is the ultimate security.
• The Almighty (shaddai) hides us in His protective shadow, shielded from the harsh elements of our difficulties.
• Lord (yahweh) protects our hearts as the faithful promise-keeper. He is alive and active, unlike the false so-called gods.
• God – (elohim) is trustworthy because He is the one and only deity over all.

So, to summarize, the one who, by faith, confidently communes with the Lord during times of trouble is the one who has faith and confidence in the Lord’s protection.

Verse 3 changes “voice” as the psalm moves from the writer using the pronoun “I” to verse 3, where the pronoun “he” refers to the nearest antecedent, namely, “My God in whom I trust.” Verses 3-13 address the reader and give nine promises that God will protect and enable us to go through our troubles:

• Verse 3: He will guard against sudden snares like a bird trap and protect like a bird covers her chicks with her wings. This addresses sudden and unexpected calamity that may come our way.
• Verse 4: He will be faithful like a shield in battle and an earthen barrier around the camp or city. God will defend us whether we are alone or in fellowship with Christians.
• Verses 5: He will assuage our fear of those against us (see the imagery of Christian armor against spiritual opposition in Eph. 6:10-18).
• Verse 6: He will calm our anxiety and dread over physical illnesses that can ravage the body.
• Verses 7-8: He will bring justice to our case by punishing those against us.
• Verses 9-10: He will be our refuge and dwelling (see vss. 1-2); nothing can touch us, whether evil or disease.
• Verses 11-12: He will give us angelic protection to keep us from stumbling in our faith (see Heb. 1:14, Matt. 18:10). [Satan used this passage in tempting Jesus to throw Himself down from the temple pinnacle, but conveniently did not quote verse 13)].
• Verse 13: God will protect us from natural dangers and what they represent, namely Satan as pictured in the lion and the serpent (Gen. 3:1, Rev. 12:9). We can’t help but see in this the Edenic promise of judgment on him:

And I will put enmity between you [the serpent]and the woman, and between your seed and her seed; He shall bruise you on the head, and you shall bruise him on the heel.” (Gen. 3:15 referring to Eve’s descendant, Jesus Christ, and the serpent, Satan)

The pressing question upon first reading this psalm is how these promises can be true for all believers. Cancer hits some of us. Financial reversals, abuse, oppression, hunger, and many other trials fall on believers as well as unbelievers. Where is God’s protection in all of that? In fact, no one trusts in God (the Father) more than the Lord Jesus (the Son) did, yet He died at the hands of hypocrites who were incited by none other than Satan.

By faith and trust, we can rest assured that nothing will befall us that is outside of the Lord’s knowledge and will—that is the point of this psalm. While these things may happen to us, God will protect us from going astray, not allowing these circumstances to conquer our spirits, even though they attack our bodies. This is true for all, I repeat all, who dwell in the shelter of the Most High and who abide in the shadow of the Almighty. We live on a different plane than that of this world, so we interpret this psalm in light of eternity and the very real, unseen spiritual world. God’s protection is sure and will escort us into eternity. This is the trust He uses to accomplish His purposes in our lives, no matter what happens to us in this fallen, sin-cursed world. In the face of anything and everything against us, we have victory in the Lord. As commentator J.P. Lange puts it:

“Whether life be long or short, the main thing is that we gain during it the gracious presence of God, and experience the saving help of the Highest. God does not merely send His servants and messengers; He comes also Himself to help and deliver the righteous.”

He who has God for his dwelling place is raised so high, that the devil, the world, and all temptations cannot harm him.

The psalm turns to the last three verses, changing the addressee from “you” to “Me.” The NASB and NKJV capitalize the “Me” in keeping with their treatment of pronouns referencing God. However, the reference is not immediately apparent since the original Hebrew language doesn’t use capitalization. Some have suggested this is Messianic, with the speaker being Jesus Christ talking to God the Father. But this could just as well be a prayer in the voice of the psalm writer and, by extension, all who have “loved” God (vs. 14, the word means to have an attached affection). When a believer lives in close communion with the Lord, he is lifted above his troublesome situation; he knows that the name “Yahweh” (vss. 2 & 9) means God is truly there for His people and promises to act on our behalf. He is not a creation of our imagination; we can be assured of genuine answered prayer. When we “dwell” in the shadow of the Almighty, He will be “with us” amid our difficulties (vs. 15). The finish of all this is not what we will do, but what God will do; He will give us a satisfying life, and we will see the fruit of being saved by Him. Our hope, in this, is an anchor for the soul (Heb. 6:19).

Lord, I believe; help my unbelief (Mark 9:24).