The Word To Live By: 8-17-25
Phil Waggoner
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust. Psalm 91:1-2
The Word To Live By: If John 3 is the father of all the promise scriptures, Psalm 91 is the granddaddy. Follow me here. The promises begin in verse 3 and continue through verse 16, but they are contingent on dwelling in the shelter of the Most High and abiding in the shadow of the Almighty. How do we get there? First of all, the shelter of the Most High is the Word of God. Psalm 119:114, “You are my shelter and my shield; I put my hope in Your word.” Psalm 121:5, “The Lord protects you; the Lord is a shelter right by your side.” Abiding in the shadow of the Almighty is walking by faith in the Word of God. In John 15:7, Jesus said, “If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” We abide in Him by doing His will, which is to live by faith and not by sight (2 Corinthians 5:7). So, how do we get into the shelter and the shadow? Verse 2, “I will say, my refuge and my fortress, My God, in whom I trust.” Huh? Say verses 3 through 16 in the first person. “Thank you for delivering me from the snare of the trapper and the deadly pestilence. Thank you for covering me with Your pinions (promises), and under Your wings I seek refuge. Your faithfulness is a shield and bulwark to me. I am not afraid of the terror by night, or the arrow that flies by day, of the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, or the destruction that lays waste at noon.” Do you have a picture? “A thousand may fall at my side and ten thousand at my right hand, but it shall not approach me! I will only look on with my eyes and see the recompense of the wicked, for I have made the Lord my refuge, and the Most High, my dwelling place. No evil will befall me or will any plague come near my dwelling.” “This seems a little over the top, even for you, brother.” This is what I know: life and death are in the power of the tongue, and whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and cast into the sea’, and doesn’t doubt in his heart but believes what he says is going to happen, he will have whatever he says (Proverbs 18:21, Mark 11:23). Have a safe day. 😊
Read through the Bible in a year: John 3:1-21; 1 Chronicles 12; Zechariah 2;
Read through the New Testament and Proverbs: Proverbs 17, Matthew 24:27-51, 1 Corinthians 4
The sum of Thy Word is Truth Psalm 119:160