Reflection 3

Psalm 91

Read Psalm 91 and respond to the question below. The original "he/him" nouns are replaced with "I" and "you" nouns so that the message sounds much more personal.

I say 

The one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High, will rests in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord,"You are my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust!" 

The Promise 

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 terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day, the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, or calamity that destroys at noon, nor the plane 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 make the Most High your dwelling - even the Lord, who is my refuge - then no harm will befall 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 again a stone. You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. 

The Lord says

"Because you love me," says the Lord, "I will rescue you. I will protect you, for you acknowledge my name. You will call upon me, and I will answer you.

I will be with you in trouble. I will deliver you, and honor you. 

With long life will I satisfy you and show you my salvation.

The promises in the Psalm 91 are God's promises for you. The Lord God desires one and only one thing in His relationship with you—your love for Him to reciprocate His love for you. "'Because you love me..', says the Lord," I  will do all the things listed under “The Promise.” Looking retrospectively at your life, do we see your love for God throughout the years passed? Do you love God? The Scripture says a lot about the way He loves you. 

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. But God demonstrates his love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. (Romans 5:6, 8)

God's ultimate expression of His love is when He, on His own free volition, took the punishment for our trespasses on Himself so we can go free. Yes, the Creator of the Universe went through pain, suffering, and death for the entire human race, including you. If you were the only human on earth, He would still die for you. You may feel unseen, abandoned, ignored, shoved away, insignificant, trampled over, spat on, etc., but these feelings are subjective because, in the grand scheme of things, the Creator elevates you to the status of His child, an heir of His Kingdom. He sees you not in your broken state of heart but in your glorified state in Heaven. He has not finished His divine work with you until His holiness and righteousness are imparted in you, becoming EHAD with you.

Task: On the scale from 1 to 10, where 1 is "no love," and 10 is "through the roof love," how do you measure your love for God? Take a moment to reflect on your findings.

Question: How does my love for God compare to His love for me right now? 

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In the beginning, God created humankind out of love. After the Fall, God devised a plan to restore us to our former glory because of His love. God stepped into human history, and out of love, He executed His Grand Plan. The Scripture is a love letter to humanity—a divinely inspired instruction manual with directions on choosing life under the fallen condition of a dead world. Because He loves you, He created this exact moment in space and time just for you and Him to come together in fellowship and heal. He loves you because He has known you since He first created the foundations of this world. God desires that you tone down, tune-up, and soar high on wings like the eagles (Isaiah 40:31). Today, He desires to affirm His promises to you listed in Psalm 91, saying, "I will do all these things for you because you love me." 

Prayer                                                                                                                                      

Father God, I searched my heart, and I found it lacking in love for You. Compared to Your love for me, my love for You falls short. I admit, I cannot love You with the same love You love me. I ask You, Lord, to grant me the ability to reciprocate Your love. Impart in me, O Lord, Your divine love so I can love You with the same capacity You love me. I pray for Your divine love to flood me. In Your name, Jesus, I pray.