Psalm 91:1-4, “1He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust.” 3Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the perilous pestilence. 4He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.”

There is no better image of love and protection than the image of a baby bird safe under the wings of its mother. Under her wings, they are safe from every harm, from foul weather and from the cold. Under her wings, they are warm, dry and comforted. This is the imagery we see in this verse. It focuses on the sense of security found in God. When we dwell in the secret place of God–that is, the very essence of God, the place where we meet intimately with Him–we find ourselves in the shadow of the Almighty, often read as the shadow of His wings. We are in a place of safety and security. When we are in the secret place of God, we are protected. No harm will come to us and we are comforted by His presence.

Hebrews 13:20-21, “20Now may the God of peace [the source of serenity and spiritual well-being] who brought up from the dead our Lord Jesus, the great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood that sealed and ratified the eternal covenant, 21equip you with every good thing to carry out His will and strengthen you [making you complete and perfect as you ought to be], accomplishing in us that which is pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ, to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.”

There is nothing on this earth that we will face that God has not equipped us for. Sometimes it takes a little bit of searching to find that resolve to carry on. But eventually we find it. And the next time we are faced with similar trials or tribulations, we are more confident, and experienced because we know God will help us out of them again.

Isaiah 40:29,31, ““He gives power to the weak, and to those who have no might He increases strength. … “But those who wait on the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint.” Ephesians 6:10, “Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.”

Trials and tribulations are an inevitable part of the Christian walk. There are times where we will be mocked for what we believe and it will leave us feeling weary and down. When you realize that the strength God can supply us with is endless, it changes everything. We don’t have to beg for God’s strength. As children of God, we have total access to it at any time. God will never try to withhold His strength from His children. It is in God’s strength we receive the comfort and assurance to keep on moving. When we choose to rely on God’s strength, and not our own, life makes more sense. The pressure we put on ourselves reduces because we realize that we are not alone. God’s abundant strength and comfort is with us wherever we may go.

John 14:16-17, “16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you.”

The Holy Spirit is readily available for us to commune with. God doesn’t require us to be in any position in order for us to talk to Him. We should hold this to heart and make the most of it, having a heart like David, who was always concerned with the things of God.

Psalm 139:16-17, “16You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered!”

God loved us before we even knew of His love and what it meant. He knew of our existence long before our parents met. And he continues to spend every day reaching out to those who do not know Him, whilst loving and raising the children who have come to accept salvation. Never allow anyone to let you think that you serve a distant God. That couldn’t be any more far from the truth than it already is. You belong to the Almighty God and He sees you as His child. He sees you as His own.

Jeremiah 29:11: “11For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper

you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

Look forward to breakthroughs on several fronts. It will be like a stubborn roadblock finally being

removed so that you can progress. This advancement will smooth the way for renewal and

establish hope for the future. The frustrations you have endured will become a distant memory if

you stay the course and look to Me for wisdom and guidance. Micah 7:7 Therefore I will look to

the Lord; I will wait for the God of my salvation; my God will hear me.

Deuteronomy 31:6: “6Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them,

for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.”

The love of God kicks in and teaches us how to love one another, which is another part of Christ

being with us always. He is always there to show us the right way to go. He is always there to

comfort us when we are hurt for loving the people around us. He is there to refresh and remind

us of how worthwhile the journey is.

He is always there and He always will be.

Deuteronomy 7:9: “9Know therefore that the Lord your God is God; he is the faithful God,

keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his

Commandments.”

2 Timothy 2:13: “13if we are faithless, he remains faithful, for he cannot disown himself.”

God remained faithful to the children of Israel, even after they turned their backs on Him.

Whenever they cried out to Him, God would help them. Even if they had hurt him in the worst

ways, he continued to come back.

When we are faced with daunting situations, we need to fall back on these truths, and on the

word of God, realizing that God is with us and He will strengthen us no matter what.

John 16:33: “33…be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”

We always have a reason to rejoice because of the life of Christ that is within us. We are

heavenly protected and led by the Spirit of God. For as long as we remain in the shelter of God,

the Most High, we will continue to marvel at the great things of God.

John 13:34-35: “34A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have

loved you, you also are to love one another. 35By this all people will know that you are my

disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Most importantly, people should see Christ in us. It is the love we express that will teach people

what to expect when they hear of the love of God. We are the ones who show them what it

means to love God. We are their first point of reference.

This is why we need to be rooted and established in love. It is the only way we are going to be

able to move effectively as missionaries of God.