Psalm 91:1-4 1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. 2 I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” 3 Surely he will save you from the fowler’s snare and from the deadly pestilence. 4 HE WILL COVER YOU with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
I want you to see four names of God that are given to us in the first two verses of Psalm 91 that prove that God is qualified to cover us.
Let’s take a look at the first name here which is “Most High.” In Hebrew it is El-Elyon. El-Elyon or Most High God speaks about the authority and strength God has to cover us. The Hebrew definition says that El-Elyon is the possessor of the heavens and the earth. He is the God who is over all things. He is the strongest of the strong. Nobody is bigger than El-Elyon. He is the Most High. No one is higher. He is sovereign over all.
Psalm 115:3 says, “Our God is in heaven; he does whatever pleases him.”
He isn’t asking for permission to act. He isn’t taking a poll to see what public opinion is on any subject matter. He doesn’t consult a committee before He makes a decision.
Job put it this way: Job 42:2 “I know that you can do all things; no plan of yours can be thwarted. This truth is threaded all throughout Scripture: Psalm 97:9 For you, O LORD, are the Most High over all the earth; you are exalted far above all gods.
Let’s look into this second name for God here in Psalm 91:1.
Almighty-El-Shaddai God not only has the authority and strength to cover us, but He has the resources to cover us. He is and has enough no matter what. Our God is always enough. Our God always provides enough. He is, El-Shaddai, our sufficiency. Notice that this particular name of God, Almighty, doesn’t deal with the potency of His strength, but with the power, with the greatness, with the bountiful nature of His GRACE. What we need, because of His compassion, His love, His mercy, His great and unending grace, we will receive. This is the understanding David had when He said, “The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.”
Let’s look back to our text for our third and fourth names of God. Psalm 91:2: I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
Notice that the name, “LORD” is in all CAPS. God isn’t trying to shout at us here. Whenever you see LORD in all caps in Scripture, that is the English translation of Yahweh or Jehovah which are used interchangeably. LORD, Yahweh or Jehovah point to the fact that God has the integrity to cover us.
LORD-Yahweh or Jehovah-The integrity to cover.
What do I mean by integrity? Well, not everyone who makes a promise will keep it. Not everyone who makes a promise has the authority to make the promise in the first place. Some people make promises and then change their minds. Integrity speaks to the fact that God is the Covenant-keeping God, the eternal and unchangeable I AM.
He is the Great I Am. He is not the Great I Was or the Great I Will Be. He is the Great I Am, the One who is always great, the One who is always faithful and always will be. This characteristic of integrity flows out of His commitment to deliver His people and to deliver what He promises to His people. What He says is guaranteed.
The last name for God in verse 2 is God. I will say of the LORD, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
My God. This is probably the most common name we use for God. The Hebrew word for God is Elohim.
God-Elohim. Elohim speaks about God as Creator. This is the name used for God in Genesis 1 where we see God creating all that exists. But listen, God hasn’t stopped being the Creator. He didn’t use up all of His creative energies in those six days. God still has the creative power to cover us.
How does this power to create cover us? What does it mean for us? It means that we are never without hope. God can create light in the darkness. God can create a way where there seems to be no way. God can open doors that no man can shut. God can create a way of escape in difficult circumstances. The God who spoke the worlds into existence with authority and because He had a Divine plan to do so also has the ability to speak creative words over our lives and circumstances at any moment as they serve His Divine plans. Listen, nobody puts God in a corner. No one calls checkmate on Him. Even the death of Christ is proof that nothing can trump the power of our God because He can bring life even from death. We see it in the resurrection of Jesus from the grave.
This Psalm says God will cover us if we love Him and abide in Him. In order to be covered, you have to want God to cover you. Look further in Psalms chapter 91:9-10 9 If you make the Most High your dwelling– even the LORD, who is my refuge– 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent.
Or how about the end of the chapter? Psalm 91:14-16 14 “Because he loves me,” says the LORD, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. 15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him. 16 With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
What is the bottom line? If you call on God, He will cover you.
It is only as we allow Him to be our covering that we will experience the rest, the safety, the protection, and the deliverance we need. Does God have you covered? Have you said “Yes” to a personal relationship with Him? Is He your go-to? Is He your safe place? Have you called on the Most High, Almighty, Lord God to be your covering? If you come to Him this morning in faith, you won’t be cast away. You will be covered.
