By John Earp
Psalm 91
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
3 Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler
And from the perilous pestilence.
4 He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge;
His truth shall be your shield and buckler.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night,
Nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 Nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness,
Nor of the destruction that lays waste at noonday. NKJV
When I was a young boy in the 1970s, our family moved from our home in Abilene, Texas to Chicago, Illinois, where my father had been called to pastor a congregation in a rather rough part of the city. The neighborhood where the church met had formerly been predominantly of German heritage, but in recent decades, many of the German folks had moved away to the suburbs or elsewhere, and our congregation had become a unique mix of German, Scot-Irish, East Indian, Asian, Puerto-Rican, along with quite a few Kentuckians, Tennesseans, and Arkansans which had moved up from the South for work. The church’s motto at the time became “The Church of All Nations.” I often think it must have been a little foretaste of what Heaven will be like, as it says in Rev. 7:9 that people from every nation, kindred, tribe and tongue shall worship before the throne of God and the Lamb in Heaven.
A young Puerto-Rican lady in our church, who had just recently been wonderfully converted with a real joy in the Holy Spirit, was driving home from church one Sunday evening and had stopped at an intersection, when suddenly, two young men jumped into her car. One of the young men jabbed a gun into her side and told her to drive. In her distress, the young lady began to pray fervently. She had just that night heard the pastor preach a message based on Psalm 91, and as she prayed, the first part of verse 4 filled her thoughts: “He shall cover you with His feathers…” As she drove with the gun still jammed into her side, fearing for her life, with tears filling her eyes, she began to cry out, “Plumas! Plumas!” (which means “Feathers” in Spanish) She kept on crying, “Plumas! Plumas!” as she ignored her assailant’s commands for her to be quiet. Finally, the man told her, “Lady, stop this car right now! You’re crazy!” Before she could bring the car to a complete stop, the men jumped out and ran off.
Some might think this a somewhat humorous, but non-miraculous story, but you’ll never convince that young lady that the Lord didn’t miraculously deliver her from terror by night, nor that the most high God doesn’t really cover his children with his feathers! Under His wings you shall take refuge, said David. Have faith in God, for “The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and his ears are attentive to their cry.” (Ps. 34:15 NIV)