A Heart at RestSample

In the Shadow of the Almighty

Picture Jesus, 200 feet above the ground, looking down over the temple edge. Will he jump?

Jesus has just spent 40 days fasting in wilderness, now faced with the temptations of the Devil. “If you are the Son of God,” the Devil says, “throw yourself down, for it is written, ‘He will command his angels concerning you,’ and ‘On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone,’ (Matthew 4:6).”

The Devil’s intent is to bring doubt to Jesus’s relationship with his Father. Are you really the Son of God? Then prove it. Will God really protect you? Why don’t you put it to the test?

The Devil is quoting from Psalm 91, a Psalm that declares God’s protection over his people. Jesus knows the promises of this Psalm, but he is so secure in the Father’s love that he doesn’t need to test them. He rejects the temptation of the Devil. We however, are ever-prone to doubt God’s care and protection.

As you read the words of Psalm 91, what was your heart’s response to its declarations? Do you trust in its promises?

While Jesus trusted in this promised protection of his Father, he wasn’t spared from physical suffering. His obedience to God led him straight into the hands of cruel Roman soldiers and a brutal crucifixion. As seen through Jesus’s life, trusting God does not guarantee deliverance from pain. But because Jesus took the wrath of God on the cross, trusting in God does guarantee that we will never be separated from God and his love! As verse 15 of this Psalm declares, “I will be with him in trouble.” Nothing can take us from the security of God’s sovereign hold over us or God’s eternal future for us. As the Psalm concludes in verses 15 and 16, “I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”

We can face the battles of life - a struggling marriage, the exhaustion of having too much on our plates, anxiety over a child, a persistent struggle with loneliness or depression… we can face it all from within the safety of God’s arms. Psalm 90:4 says, “He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.” In our trials, we must remember that we are never alone but surrounded by the loving presence of God, and we seek out a deeper awareness of this presence through prayer and stillness with God, time in his word, and time with his people.

Psalm 90 proclaims that the protection of God is a refuge, a fortress, a covering. It gives us a source of security when facing our battles. It gives us confidence in a final victory. It gives us the assurance that we can never fall outside God’s will.

When I look at Jesus’s life, I see so much bravery and unwavering commitment to his mission. The mockery of friends and relatives, threats of religious leaders, and disapproval of onlookers did not sway him. And when I consider how often I compromise and succumb to temptation - making the hurtful comment to my spouse to defend myself; misplacing my hope in financial stability; seeking to secure my worth through the way I look - I realize that I’m compromising because I’m not believing in God’s protection. I’m not trusting in his relationship to me. I’m doubting that his love is enough.

But when we stake our confidence in this - God is my dwelling place, and he has committed to protect and deliver me. He holds me fast in love and will show me his salvation. - When we stake our confidence in this, we find ourselves equipped to follow in Christ’s footsteps of faithfulness. God is our refuge and fortress, worthy of all our trust.