THE ninety-first psalm will be more and more a tower of strength and comfort to those who know God and believe His word. Among its consoling utterances we read: "He will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover thee with His pinions, and under His wings shalt thou take refuge: His truth is a shield and a buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day; for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. 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. For Thou, O Jehovah, art my refuge! Thou hast made the Most High thy habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent." Ps. 91: 3-10.
"Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night," is the divine assurance. Neither will we be afraid "for the pestilence that walketh in darkness, nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday."
Observe that the text says, "Thou shalt not be afraid." God, by His mighty power, will place a wall of protection about His people, that will remove all fear. They will stand in the very midst of the dangers, and a thousand will fall at their side, and ten thousand at their right hand; yet they will not be afraid, for they know the Most High and His infinite power, and are trusting, with successful confidence, in His great promises.
Fortifications and protections that men build may be broken down, but God's promises are an everlasting foundation that can not be removed. He who knows God, and the power of His blessed word, is not afraid, no matter what the terrors or the difficulties that may be storming about him.
This world has passed into a time that will try men's souls. If you do not know the blessed experience of a personal acquaintance with the living God, you are missing everything in life that is of value. Take His word, believe His promises, and enter into the fortress of strength, of quietness, and of joy, that He has prepared, and thus get ready for the great day that will burst with terrors upon this world, but that will also open the gates of glory, everlasting joy, and immortality, to those who love and serve God.
