I continue in my quest for a prayer life in line with God’s will, and as I write this, Hurricane Ian has just ravaged Florida and is moving north. I lived through Hurricane Charley and decided to relocate after that adventure in terror. In my case, weather experts predicted the storm would land in Tampa. It crawled along the southwest side of the state as a category 2 and changed to category 3 after passing Ft. Myers. I lived in Pt. Charlotte at the time. It was getting close. I had 13 people sheltering in my home since it was boarded up and built to withstand a cat 3. We ate food out of my fridge before we lost power creating a Super Bowl party atmosphere, but instead of a game, we watched radar and weather updates.
We stared in disbelief as the storm upgraded to a 4. In a blink, it wobbled, turned, ready to make landfall, and headed straight toward my neighborhood. The power blinked out. The weather experts were gone. We stood in the twilight of a boarded up house. We had maybe 10 minutes before it hit. I ran to the bedroom and emptied the walk-in closet. The contents turned into a haphazard mountain on my bed with no time to be embarassed. We jammed people and pets inside and prayed as the wind and rain clawed at the roof. Our metal front doors bowed like the wolf was huffing and puffing, and I wondered if they’d blow in.
Hurricane Ian brought back all these memories. With this huge storm the National Weather Service issued warnings of the highest risk of “life-threatening” storm surges between Tampa and Fort Myers and severe flooding to low-lying escape routes. When you live in Florida, you know more people die of the flooding than the wind. The governor ordered mandatory evacuations for large swaths of the state. I lay awake praying for people in the storm's path, including many close friends. As I looked to God’s Word, I came across Psalm 91. It talks of God’s protection and rescue from danger. Could that prayer apply in this circumstance?
Psalm 91 prayer
The Psalm 91 prayer talks of making God our refuge and dwelling and that no harm will overtake you, and no disaster will come near your tent. It’s easy to claim this when disaster looms toward us. But again, I remind you to view God's Word within the context in which it was written. When we don't, it is easy to manipulate it to our circumstances to mean what we want it to mean. So let's take a look at whether or not we should call upon the Lord in this way.
The first verse talks about God as our refuge and dwelling. What does that mean? The Hebrew word for refuge maḥăsê (makh-as-eh') means refuge or shelter from rain or storm, from danger or falsehood. It’s a place of hope and trust. And the word for dwelling means continuance; residence; state of life. So this is more than a place to hide when trouble comes. It’s where we are to live in our relationship with God.
Commentary on Psalm 91
Ancient commentaries on the Hebrew scriptures (Midrash Tehillim and Zohar) explain that Moses wrote Psalm 91 while ascending into the cloud hovering over Mount Sinai. In this instance, God had called him to come up. Ex. 19:16 describes the scene this way: “On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled.” To the Israelis below “the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain” (Ex. 24:17). Psalm 91 was Moses's prayer as he obediently climbed into what looked like an active volcano, and he stayed on the mountain for 40 days and 40 nights in the presence of God. That is the context for this prayer for safety and protection.
I can’t help but notice that Satan quoted this Psalm to Jesus when he tempted Him in the wilderness (vs. 9-12). He told Jesus to throw Himself 450 feet straight down from the pinnacle of the temple. If Jesus fell for this, it would result in a double sin. First, it would show that He wasn’t trusting God the right way. His actions would create danger and test God. This would result in the sin of presumption, daring God to prove Himself and catch Him. Jesus answered Satan with Scripture, Deuteronomy 6:16, "Jesus said to him, ‘It is written again, Thou shalt not put the Lord, thy God, to the test.’"
Jesus was "led up by the spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil" following His baptism. He was led there by the Spirit of God. (Just like Moses was following what God called him to do.) Both were faced with difficult circumstances but followed God’s will in those difficult circumstances. At other times God called people out of danger. Like Lot and his family when called to leave Sodom.
Jesus knew never to use God's power to test God. We don't go against what we know is God's will, to force Him to take care of us. We are not to live recklessly on purpose and then expect God to get us out of the mess. Taking risks to be obedient to Him is one thing, but unnecessary risks are another matter. The point is to listen to God. Seek His will. When we surrender our lives to God's grace through faith in Jesus, He sends His Holy Spirit to live within us. If He is not your refuge and dwelling place every day, that’s the first order of business to take care of. Talk to God about this. Know that he loves you.
There is a place we can live in safety, peace, and joy in Jesus. As believers, we experience God’s protection and goodness spiritually, but we cannot always expect it in the physical realm. Keep your eyes trained on your eternal destination as you find yourself facing dangers in this world. Meditate on His Word. He offers peace, not as the world knows peace. Once you are His, you are His forever. You are safe eternally. But if you are not one of His sheep, He is not your Shepherd, but He wants to be. It's up to you.