Lent Devotional April 15, 2025

Scripture

Psalm 91

1 You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
2 will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
4 he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
5 You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
6 or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
14 Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
15 When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
16 With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.

Devotion

The Rev. Rebecca McGee ’09

An unusual thing happened when I began serving a new church. As I would randomly walk through the sanctuary, I would find a Bible open on the communion rail. It was there every time I just happened to be in the sanctuary. So, each time, I would put the Bible back in the pew where there was an open spot. It was a bit of a mystery to me. By about the third time, I realized that the Bible was always open to Psalm 91, a beautiful Psalm calling on God for protection—protection from “the hunter’s trap,” “deadly sickness,” the “terrors at night,” and “arrows that fly in daylight.” And, of course, God does protect and save us, giving us all refuge, serving as our “protective shield” from anything which threatens to harm us.

A month or two later, I shared the “mystery” of the open Bible during a leadership meeting. It was then that the lay leader shared that he has keys to the church (something I had not known) and that ever since his youngest child, a son, who was a member of a special forces unit of the Army, had been deployed to Afghanistan, he had been starting his day in the sanctuary praying Psalm 91 on behalf of his son. He continued to do this every day, for about a year and a half in total, until his son returned safely to the United States. What incredible faithfulness this father demonstrated in praying fervently for the safety of his son!

Hopefully, we all know we can trust our heavenly Father to protect us, like this earthly father trusted God to protect his son. For God tells us in Psalm 91:15,

“Whenever you cry out to me, I’ll answer.
I’ll be with you in troubling times.
I’ll save you and glorify you.”

We aren’t always spared from the hazards of life, but we are promised the presence of the One who will serve as our refuge, the One who will save us, the One who will always answer us when we cry out.

Prayer

Almighty God, we are so incredibly grateful to you for protecting us from those things which could endanger us. Help us to trust you and to know that whatever circumstances may arise in our lives, you will always hear our cries and accompany us.

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