Central CC of Fresno

Psalm 61, 91,121

Will God Really Protect Us?

September 9, 2012

Psalms of Confidence – in God.

When trouble is all around you can either panic or find strength in faith.  King David sees God as his ultimate Protector.    

Psalm 61 –

Lead Me to the Rock that Is Higher than I

God ________my _______  _________.

 He ______ me to the ______ that is Higher than I.

He becomes my ________  and  _________  _______ against the Enemy. 

He protects me beneath the ________ of His  wings.

Psalm 91 –                                                    Dwelling in the Shelter of the Most High

“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.” (91:9-10)

What does it mean to “make the Most High your dwelling”?______________________

__________________________________

What personal qualities does God look out for:

• Loves God: “to be attached to, to love, to cling to.” Emphasis on that which attaches to something or is already bound to its object.

• Knows God’s name: “to know,” refers here to intimate knowledge, personal relationship. “Name” included ideas of existence, character and reputation.  “To know the name” means to know God, to have a close relationship with him.

• Calls upon God: “He will call upon me” expresses the bond between the Helper and the helped, rooted in a trust in God’s infinite grace, God’s unmerited favor.  This quality is one of reliance, of trust, and of faith.

These verses also spell out eight direct promises of God to His people:

1.      I will rescue him (14a)

2.      I will protect him (14b)

3.      I will answer him (15a)

4.      I will be with him in tro

5.      I will deliver him (15c)

6.      I will honor him (15c)

7.      I satisfy him with long life (16a)

8.      I will show him my salvation (16b)

Psalm 121 –

I Will Lift Up My Eyes to the Hills

The psalmist expands on the ways the Lord protects his people. Can you find how many times the keywords “watch,” “keep,” “preserve,” continue to pop up through the rest of the psalm?

We could be tempted to rebel at God acting like a “mother hen.” Or we could relax and realize that it is out of love that he is caring for us.

Notice the details of God’s protection:

●  Protection from falling. “He will not let your   

    foot slip” (verse 3a)

●  Protection 24/7. “He who watches over you

    will not slumber” (verses 3b‐4)

●  Protection from the sun and moon. “The

    LORD is your shade at your right hand”  

    (verses 5‐6)

●  Protection of an all‐hazard policy. “The

    LORD will keep you from all harm” (verse 7)

The psalm concludes with an all‐inclusive statement of God’s watch‐care over you:

All harm, All our life, All our coming and going, Now and Forever.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.”                   (Romans 8:28)

But this truth does not exclude verse 35:

“Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword?” (Romans 8:35)