An andiron in the fire

A companion psalm

Psalm 91
Shelter Inside the Danger

shelter inside the danger

He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress:

my God;

in him will I trust.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust:

his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night;

nor for the arrow that flieth by day;

Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness;

nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.

A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand;

but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.

Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation;

There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.

They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:

the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will I deliver him:

I will set him on high, because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:

I will be with him in trouble;

I will deliver him, and honour him.

With long life will I satisfy him, and shew him my salvation.


The danger in this psalm is not hypothetical. A thousand are falling at your side. Ten thousand at your right hand. The pestilence stalks. The arrows fly. The destruction wastes at noonday. You are inside the danger zone - and the psalm does not promise you won't be. It promises a shelter within it. A dwelling place in the Most High while the fire rages. This is Goshen in the Psalter: Israel inside Egypt, plagues everywhere, light where God's people live. And verse 15 is the Obadiah pattern stated as divine promise: "I will be with him in trouble." Not "I will remove him from trouble." With him. In it.