“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, ‘My refuge and my fortress,
My God, in whom I trust!'”
Psalm 91:1-2
My family and I recently returned home from a trip to Colorado. During one of our adventures, a friend who was there with us took the picture above. If you look closely, you’ll see a deer nestled into the side of a boulder. What’s striking about this picture is the deer’s apparent indifference to those passing by. On the one hand, she’s alert with her ears bent back, taking in the sound. However, on the other hand, she’s safely tucked away within a source of strength encompassing her, offering her protection.
This deer is sheltered and is therefore content.
Three lessons from this picture, combined with Psalm 91:1-2, that might encourage you today:
- God is the Almighty.
- As the Almighty, God is a refuge and fortress.
- Therefore, God alone is trustworthy.
(1) God is the Almighty.
One of the words chosen by the Psalmist to describe the only God who is trustworthy is the word Almighty. In Hebrew, the word is Shaddai, understood as the one true God, possessing absolute power. A common way to describe this word is in terms of the omnipotent character attribute of God. Essentially, God’s omnipotence is God’s power to do all that God desires to do. In other words, as God Almighty, God’s will is always carried out in just the right way and manner. On the one hand, this could lead us to question God’s character when evil occurs, perhaps causing some to accuse God of being the source of the evil itself. However, on the other hand, we know that God is not the source of evil because His nature is always good, as seen in the following lesson.
(2) As the Almighty, God is a refuge and fortress.
The words “refuge” and “fortress” describe the nature of God’s protection. Refuge means “safety and free from danger as a figurative extension of a place of refuge or shelter.”** Fortress means “mountain stronghold.”*** Putting these two words together as a descriptor of God implies that God is not only a place free of danger, but is also a place of perspective. In other words, God as Almighty at least means that nearness to God offers safety and clarity when looking out across the horizon of life. Therefore, the nearer we are to God, the safer we are and the clearer we see. How do we experience this God? The question is answered in lesson three below.
(3) Therefore, God alone is trustworthy.
In lesson 1, we saw that God is all-powerful, implying that His will and ways must come to pass. Then, in lesson 2, we saw that God is a place of safety and perspective. In this final lesson, we encounter the only proper response to this God, which is to trust Him fully. Our trust cannot be mere intellectual, meaning that we acknowledge these things are true about God. Indeed, if we only agree that these things are true, then we’re with the demons who know these things but are not and will not experience this reality of God. Instead, the kind of trust that finds these things to be true of God for all of life is the faith God produces in His people through the finished work of Christ. What do I mean?
When Christ gave His sermon on the mount, he said that the poor in spirit are the ones who receive the kingdom of God. This tells us at least two things: (1) there is a kingdom where God dwells, and (2) only the poor in spirit enter this kingdom. Therefore, to enter this kingdom, one must be poor in spirit. How does this apply to lessons 1 and 2? It applies in at least these two ways:
- Only the poor in spirit trust that God is all-powerful, no longer relying on their good deeds to save them and their evil deeds to condemn them. In other words, they acknowledge their impotence.
- Only the poor in spirit turn to God as their source of freedom from danger and a place of perspective, no longer relying on pragmatics to aid them. In other words, they acknowledge their disorientation.
How Does This Apply To Us Today?
There are three points and a conclusion:
- God was pleased to express His omnipotence–all power–in crushing Christ on the cross (Isaiah 53:10).
- In that moment of agony, Christ was removed from God’s shelter and fortress.
- God’s allowing Christ to be killed for our sin accomplished what God’s omnipotent justice required for sinful humans (impotent and disoriented) to be reconciled to God (all-powerful shelter and place of vision).
In conclusion, the Almighty, through Christ, offers us continual safety and vision despite circumstances, pain, loss, confusion, and more.
Will you trust Him more today?
Take some time to reflect on areas where you are not trusting Him. Reflect on Christ and ask God to increase your understanding of the sacrifice He made for you.
*The Lexham Analytical Lexicon of the Hebrew Bible (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2017).
**James Swanson, Dictionary of Biblical Languages with Semantic Domains: Hebrew (Old Testament) (Oak Harbor: Logos Research Systems, Inc., 1997).
***Ludwig Koehler et al., The Hebrew and Aramaic Lexicon of the Old Testament (Leiden: E.J. Brill, 1994–2000), 622.
To read Part 2: The Shaping of a Person in the 3-part series, The Pillars of a Person, CLICK HERE.
— July 24, 2025