Psalms 91

Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High

will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress,

my God, in whom I trust.”

Surely he will save you

from the fowler’s snare

and from the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers,

and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night,

nor the arrow that flies by day,

nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,

nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side,

ten thousand at your right hand,

but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes

and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you say, “The Lord is my refuge,”

and you make the Most High your dwelling,

no harm will overtake you,

no disaster will come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you

to guard you in all your ways;

they will lift you up in their hands,

so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread on the lion and the cobra;

you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;

I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;

I will be with him in trouble,

I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life I will satisfy him

and show him my salvation.”

Psalm 91

I recited these words of Psalm 91 to myself as I sat in the Emergency Room, propped up on a sheet-covered hospital bed, waiting for my MRI this weekend. God met me in my fears and gave me the strength to surrender my fears to Him: fears over being in the MRI machine, fears over what they might find, the fears I’ve been fighting each night in this debilitating pain of back spasms and chest spasms.

Praise God I got through all that. Thank you so much for your prayers for me.

It feels like such a weight has been removed, my MRI came back normal, which means that I have no spinal injury – instead I have muscular injuries which are harder to pinpoint. My body has not been responding to muscle relaxers or the pain medications I can take with my allergies, so here I am, walking through this pain – praying for it to heal. Each night feels daunting, since the pain comes on strongest just as I’m most relaxed. I would love to ask for continued prayers for healing for me – for me to experience God’s supernatural peace and rest. I’m so exhausted from the pain and lack of sleep, and tired of hurting.

On top of that, my girls are both on antibiotics this week for infection. My youngest with an ear infection and lingering cough, my eldest with an infection compounded by asthma. It’s so hard watching my kids fight sickness. It drains me in an emotional way that can seem as difficult as the physical weight of my nightly pain.

As I read the words of Psalm 91, I’m so grateful that God is here, in this. In all this pain and struggle – all these things out of my control. He is still in charge. Lord, I surrender these deep places of pain to you today and ask for your healing.

xx