GOD’S CURE FOR TROUBLED TIMES (Psalm 91)

A German physician said that Psalm 91 was the best preservative against the outbreak of cholera in his day. G. Campbell Morgan said it is "one of the greatest possessions of the saints." Charles Spurgeon said of it, "In the whole collection there is not a more cheering Psalm, its tone is elevated and sustained throughout, faith is at its best, and speaks nobly."

I am referring to Psalm 91, which is God’s cure for troubled times. That is what we are living in right now. There are many troubled hearts, but God has a cure.

Many people believe it is an extension of Psalm 90 because if an author is not designated for a particular psalm, they think the author of the previous one simply continued to write. If that is true, then Psalm 91 was written by Moses.

We don’t know what experiences were behind this writing. Obviously, there were difficult circumstances. Looking through these 16 verses, you see words like pestilence, terror, arrow, destruction, evil, plague, and trouble. Are you encouraged yet?

These were tough times. Yet, after reading Psalm 91, you come away thinking not about the difficulty but about God. This psalm is about Him. The cure for troubled times is to you your eyes off the trouble and back on God.

Verses 1-2: “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.”

The names of God in Psalm 91

The first name is “most High,” or El-Elyon. That is God’s strength. He is the strongest of the strong ones.

Next was “the Almighty,” or El-Shaddai. That is God’s provision. If you are needy today, He has more than enough.

Then there was “the Lord,” or Yahweh — the covenant name. That is God’s faithfulness. No matter how many times you have failed, the Lord never has.

Finally, we see “my God,” or Elohim. That is God’s love. The most precious word in this passage is “my.” He is not just God; he is mine.

Can you say today that He is your God? You cannot have His peace without His person. You cannot enjoy His resources without the relationship. You have to make Him your God.

God’s cure for troubled times

In verses 3-10, we see that cure in His care.

Verses 3-4: “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.”

God gives protection from the enemy.

The “fowler” is the bird hunter, but in a clever play on words, God shows us how He will protect us with His wings. He is greater than any enemy. Like an eagle, He will protect His own.

Verses 5-6: “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.”

God gives peace in the midst of all the noise.

It doesn’t mean that the pestilence will never touch His people, but despair doesn’t have to.

Verse 7-10: “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.”

God gives preservation.

Through the battle and the difficulty, He preserves His own.

In 1854 there was a terrible outbreak of a plague in London. Charles Spurgeon was just a young minister at the time and he was among the dying, literally burying people every day. One afternoon he was walking home after a funeral, sad and depressed, when suddenly he had this awful thought: “I am going to die.”

At that moment he looked up at a shopkeeper’s window. The store had been closed due to the outbreak, but a sign was posted there. It contained the words of Ps. 91:9-10.

“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.”

When he read it, Spurgeon was given fresh faith to press on.

Another part of God’s cure for troubled times is His Christ.

We find Jesus in Psalm 91.

Verses 11-13: “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.”

This is a messianic reference. It is not primarily about the angels, but about Christ. You may recognize these verses as the ones Satan misquoted when tempting Jesus (.

God took care of His Son when He was on this earth, and God will take care of all of His children. The same God who worked then, and the same Christ who overcame that temptation, are with us today. The same angels who served God then are ministering to us now.

The lion, adder, and dragon are pictures of the devil. I am happy to report to you that the Lord Jesus Christ has conquered all of them. The enemy has already been defeated, and because of this you can have peace in troubled times.

The final cure we see in this psalm is His covenant.

Verses 14-16: “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.”

Seven times in this passage we read an “I will” from God. It should reassure us once again that God will.

This was the last text from which D.L. Moody ever preached at Northfield. It came from an experience in his own life, much earlier as a young man, when he was on a ship that was sinking. Moody said this portion of Scripture was what pulled him out of despair. He preached it to 700 passengers, and God delivered them.

These are indeed troubled times in which we live. You can’t change that. But hallelujah, God has not changed. His cure for these times is to get back to Him.

Meditate on His care, His Christ, and His covenant. You will find everything you need for these troubled times.