This is a short blog today. My priority has been post-surgery caregiving for dear Husband. Let me just share some verses that comforted me in the surgery waiting room and throughout this week. Special thanks to our devoted pastor who read us the opening verses of Psalm 91 before we left for the hospital. Those verses were a place to direct my thinking and calm my heart.

Also, special thanks to our oldest daughter and her daughter who came to keep vigil and feed me when surgery schedules were delayed.
Although a common surgery, it was still a four hour surgery and any surgery has risks. It hasn’t been an uneventful recovery, But except for an hour or two, it wasn’t scary complications- just painful. (!)  Apparently, we needed training in patience and endurance. Things are improving daily now. We certainly were reminded of the importance of having loving family and friends who truly care and show it with calls and texts, meals and visits. I want to be that kind of caring person when others are hurting!
The first verses of Psalm 91 paint word pictures. Shelter and shadow, refuge and fortress, shield and rampart. God gives us protection from what is thrown at us. The ‘SH’ words stuck with me through the ups and downs of dear Husband’s surgery- Shelter, Shadow, Shield. And our Refuge and Rampart. God is our Shelter from the storms, our Shadow in the heat of testing, our Shield against all life throws at us. (The word for shield is a large shield.). He’s our Refuge to run to and our Rampart. (A rampart is a thick, protective wall around a city.)

What is especially comforting is that my part in all this is to dwell, rest, and trust! I don’t have to make a shelter for myself or search for shade. I don’t have to fashion a shield. I only need to keep myself close to God in faith, hiding in my Protector.

“Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;

he is my God, and I trust him.

He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;

his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.” Psalm 91:1-2, 4

The psalmist often uses a literary device called synonymous parallelism. The thought is written in the first line, and repeated in different words in the next line. This emphasis helps me see the importance of the concept the author is explaining.

Shelter of the Most High
Shadow of the Almighty

He is my refuge.
My place of safety

He is my God,
And I trust him

Cover you with his feathers,
Under his wings you will find refuge.

The rest of the psalm are promises of protection specifically to King David and the Son of David who will rule on David’s throne forever- the Messiah. Satan knew this when he spoke to Jesus. In fact, Satan threw a passage from Psalm 91 in the face of Jesus as a taunt:

“Then the devil took him to the holy city and had him stand on the highest point of the temple. “If you are the Son of God,” he said, “throw yourself down. For it is written:
“‘He will command his angels concerning you, and they will lift you up in their hands so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.’Psalm 91:11-12”
Jesus answered him, “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’”. Matthew 4:5-7

Tellingly, Satan didn’t quote the next verse in Psalm 91 :
“You will tread on the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.” Psalm 91:13
For Jesus was destined to trample Satan, the serpent who caused the downfall of Adam and Eve, and the lion who prowls the earth looking for prey.

Yet later, Jesus willingly stepped outside this Divine protection when it was time to give his life as a sacrifice for us. But the Father was with him in trouble and he did deliver him and honor him by raising him from the dead.
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call on me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.” Psalm 91:14-15

So the next time you’re up against it, remember the “Sh” words- shelter, shade, shield. And also refuge and rampart. Our part is to live close to God, trusting in the safety of his protective Presence.