You will not be afraid of the terror by night

Posted by Admin on Dec 15, 2021 in Prayer Perspective, Psalm 91 | Comments Off on You will not be afraid of the terror by night

You will not be afraid of the terror by night,
Or of the arrow that flies by day;

Of the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
Or of the destruction that lays waste at noon. Psalm 91:5

How amazing is this verse!? Boldly, the Psalmist lists four fears common to humanity under the declaration, “YOU WILL NOT BE AFRAID…”.

The top four on the fear list include:

• Terror by night [things that go bump in the night; creeper stuff]
• The arrow that flies by day [projectiles of all kinds: drive-bys; snipers; terrorist attacks; hold ups; stick ups; home invasions]
• Pestilence that stalks in darkness [covid; flu; plagues and diseases of every kind]
• Destruction that lays waste at noon [California wildfires; Midwest tornadoes; terrorist attacks; earthquakes; etc.]

Every one of these scary potentialities has enough “oomph” to keep even the boldest among us tossing and turning, trying to sleep with one eye open, alert to the tiniest creak in the house. Hearing a noise outside can send the sleeper shooting upright in bed, heart pounding; the tiniest tickle in the throat can cause full-blown panic; and the brain’s replay of almost any given newscast can steal shuteye from the most exhausted body.

But Psalm 91 declares “YOU WILL NOT BE AFRAID”. Personalize it, and you will proclaim, “I WILL NOT BE AFRAID”, even when you DO feel afraid. You’re not lying; you’re quoting the Word of God.

The beauty of it all is that the more you interact with this Psalm and this verse (and with all of the Word of God), the more you will believe it. And the more you believe it, the more of a reality it will be in your life.

You will not be afraid of the terror by night.

I had frequent nightmares as a kid and was obsessively afraid of car accidents, break-ins, and the wolf man. Laugh if you want, but I’ll bet you had a list, too! But as I started spending time in the Bible, reading its promises, and taking them for myself, the fear levels in my life slowly decreased.

Then sometime in the last years of the Obama or the first year of the Trump administration, I sensed God saying, “Pray Psalm 91 a thousand times.” I didn’t try to do it in a hundred or even a thousand days, checking it off rapidly to get it done. No; I’m still not done! But as I walk my neighborhood or drive my car, I will likely be praying through something…and often it is Psalm 91.

I had been praying this Psalm for a good year or year and a half, and something happened that confirmed to me that I was indeed being changed on the inside by praying Psalm 91.

In the middle of the night, outside my bedroom window, I heard noises at the side gate to my backyard. I woke up for a moment, said to myself, “Oh, it’s probably just a bad guy,” and fell right back to sleep, unconcerned.

Perhaps thirty or forty minutes later, around 2 AM, I was awakened by loud banging on my front door. I peeked out the blinds and saw two police cars parked in front of my home. I threw on a robe and went to the front door, opened it, and asked, “How may I help you, Officers?”

They told me a house had been robbed a block over, and they found the perpetrator hiding in my neighbor’s bushes. When they approached him, he tore off into my back yard, and in the darkness of night, they lost him.

I think they were shocked when I declared, almost triumphantly, “I KNEW there was a bad guy back there!” They told me if I heard any other noise out there to let them know, and they went on their way.

But that lack of fear didn’t leave! I actually had to restrain myself from going outside immediately to look for loot! I just about had to take myself by the scruff of the neck and say, “Listen here, young lady! You can look for it in the morning!”

Now don’t get me wrong—praying and meditating on this Psalm will not automatically chase every fear out of your life. But when fear does crop up—and it will—you will have a well-worn path right back to the Scripture that declares “I WILL NOT FEAR” and by that, you can calm your soul as you look to God for His powerful help. And help He will.

“You will not fear the terror by night.”

Dorothy

© Dorothy Frick, 2021

Nebuchadnezzar: The dream from God and the subsequent unwise image

Posted by Admin on Nov 28, 2021 in Everyday Observations, Reflections in the Word | Comments Off on Nebuchadnezzar: The dream from God and the subsequent unwise image

Nebuchadnezzar the king made an image of gold, the height of which was sixty cubits and its width six cubits; he set it up on the plain of Dura in the province of Babylon. Daniel 3:1

In chapter 2 Nebuchadnezzar had dreamt of an enormous statue consisting of sections of gold, silver, bronze, iron, and an alloy of iron and clay. Daniel explained to the king that God had given him a prophetic dream to reveal the kingdoms on the earth, present and yet to come. Daniel also told him that he—Nebuchadnezzar—was the head of gold and that all the other kingdoms would be inferior to his.

Well, this morning I opened my Bible to chapter 3 and got no further than verse one. In the margin I read something I had written on 9/21/19: “I’ll bet Neb was ‘inspired’ to do this [build the idol] because of his dream.” The dream was from God; the subsequent construction of the golden image was NOT. The note I had written started the wheels to spin in my mind.

It hit me—ministries, ministers, and everyday Christians ALL get tempted to pull this same sort of thing whether God speaks to them, uses them, or reveals to them something to come.

We are all quite capable of playing into the same temptation, revering the dream, the prophetic word, or the revealed call of God on our lives, and sometimes we even expect others to do likewise. The gift or directive of God now becomes the object of worship and awe, not God Himself! And without realizing it, we have erected Nebuchadnezzar’s image in our own likeness and name.

When Jesus is Lord and the Father Himself is the sole object of your love, worship, and devotion, you would not expect—much less demand—reverence or allegiance to be shown by others to the vision, word, or gifting that God has given to you. Any respect shown or loyalty displayed to you by others is received as a gift, treated as a free-will offering, precious, and NEVER as that which is due.

Would your refusal—as a Christian or a leader—to set up your own gifting or ministry as an idol mean that you no longer have the right to speak into the lives of others? Of course not! When self-promotion is set aside, discernment is free to operate more purely. Instead of counseling based on partisan affiliation or allegiance status, now the full motive in ministering to others is to help them to embrace the Lord and discover the direction He has for them, not to get them onboard with your church, ministry, vision, or with any particular leader. Nebuchadnezzar image-builders get people hooked on themselves and not on the Father to whom belongs all the glory.

It is my suspicion that most of the partisan, sectarian issues in the church of “I’m of Paul” and “I’m of Apollos” (see 1 Corinthians 3:1-4) has to do with the erection of Nebuchadnezzar-like statues in seeking to immortalize a simple gift, ministry, or prophetic understanding. In turn, these providential blessings from God morph into idols to which full devotion is often demanded.

Stop idolizing humans! Stop idolizing ministries!

Stop idolizing the directives and dreams that God has given to you, and just simply obey them as from the Lord! By the same token, stop expecting others to pay homage to your wisdom, your words, your dreams, your vision, or your ministry.

Let people be followers of Jesus, and as for you, be available to God to use you to help them on the course He has for them. And likewise, receive as a gift—not as what is due—the help others give to you as you pursue His will for your life.

But the bottom line is this: Shun idolatry of all kinds.

Dorothy

© Dorothy Frick, 2021

His faithfulness

Posted by Admin on Nov 26, 2021 in Prayer Perspective, Psalm 91 | Comments Off on His faithfulness

… His faithfulness is a shield and buckler. Psalm 91:4b, ESV

First, let’s take a quick look at this shield and buckler. According to Strong’s Concordance, the shield mentioned here is large and covers the whole body. As for the buckler, some references describe it as smaller (Merriam Webster), portable (biblestudytools.com), and often worn on the forearm or held by a handle (forwhatsaiththescriptures.org). As a result, I like to think of this shield/buckler duo as defensive spiritual weaponry, able to cover ALL incoming attacks against me, whether large or small.

Moreover, as I’ve been praying through Psalm 91, this phrase—His faithfulness is my shield and my buckler—has revolutionized my thinking about FAITH IN GOD. Follow with me as I explain.

You see, I have listened to some of the premiere preachers on the topic throughout the past 40 or so years and felt I “knew” just about all there was about faith, having been taught by the best. And yet when push came to shove, whenever a situation arose which demanded faith on my part, I often struggled, wondering if my faith was sufficient.

I knew that in Ephesians 6, one article in the full armor of God is the shield of faith. I also knew that according to Ephesians 6:16, the shield of faith quenches every flaming missile of the evil one. And here, in Psalm 91:4, I read that GOD’S faithfulness itself was my shield and buckler.

Since God provides us with the shield of faith, and since His very own faithfulness is also our shield and buckler, my lightning-fast mind started sniffing out a connection! Could it be that individual human faith—as limited as it often seems to be—was actually a product of the big, all-encompassing faithfulness of God? I was on to something!

I had been taught to have faith in my faith. Well, my faith sometimes seemed pretty shoddy, to tell you the truth, and trying to rustle up faith in my pipsqueak faith left me discouraged, not encouraged.

But here, in Psalm 91:4, all the pressure was on God’s faithfulness, not my own faith! The faithfulness of God was a shield in which I could trust without wavering; my own faith, on the other hand tended to rise and fall with my emotions.

Then it hit me: God never called us to trust in our own faith. From the very beginning, all He wanted us to do was to trust in HIM—in HIS faithfulness to us.

It is His faithfulness that is a shield for you. You don’t need to concern yourself one bit with how big or powerful your own faith is; your job is to trust Him and His big, beautiful faithfulness. His job is to shield you.

Once I realized that my faith has been indelibly linked to His faithfulness to shield me, I was finally free. No longer do I need to crank up enough faith. No matter what may come my way, large or small, His faithfulness to me is my shield and my buckler.

And no matter what may come YOUR way, large or small, His faithfulness to you will be your shield and buckler as well!

Dorothy

Faithful is He who calls you, and He also will bring it to pass. 1 Thessalonians 5:24

© Dorothy Frick, 2021

Feathers

Posted by Admin on Oct 30, 2021 in Psalm 91 | Comments Off on Feathers

He shall cover you with His feathers,
And under His wings you shall take refuge…Psalm 91:4a

Feathers? Wings? Why did God chose this avian metaphor to describe His protective nature toward His people?

Think about what Jesus said to the citizens of Jerusalem in Matthew 23:37. “…how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings…”

I believe He chose this metaphor because He wants you to know beyond a shadow of a doubt that He longs to wrap you up His arms, vigilantly guarding you as He keeps a watchful eye over you.

Sadly, the final comment from Jesus’ lips in Matthew 23:37 was this: “…but you were unwilling!” You see, God is a free-will Being, and because of that He respects the free will of each human to choose, reject, or ignore Him, even at the risk of their safety, both now and eternally. But I’m not focusing on subject today, so let’s move on.

What a comfort it is to trust Him as you go through life, knowing that He is near, alert, ready to swoop in to cover you with His protective wings! The more you meditate on this fact, the less fearful you will be when confronted with unsettling thoughts, news, conversations or events. Why? Because you have purposefully made your home in the secret place, becoming increasingly familiar with His loving, mindful heart toward you, and growing in confidence in His protective guardianship.

And if you think you need to be a Bible “guru” to access this awesome protection, think again! A friend of mine shared a story about a relatively new believer she knew who found herself in dire straits, fearing for her life. She believed the Lord loved her and wanted to rescue her from her dilemma, but she couldn’t bring any Scripture to mind. All she could think of was a verse that said something about feathers. Mustering her courage, she cried out to God, “FEATHERS!!” The danger dissipated, and she was safe.

Does that surprise you? It shouldn’t; when you make the Lord your dwelling place and abide under the shadow of His wings, no matter whether you’re proficient or not in the ins and outs of doctrine, He is bonded to you and committed to protect His own who cry out to Him in faith.

Be really glad—He will cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge!

Dorothy

© Dorothy Frick, 2021

He will deliver you

Posted by Admin on Oct 19, 2021 in Psalm 91 | Comments Off on He will deliver you

Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler And from the deadly pestilence. Psalm 91:3

This verse is straightforward. God’s intention is for you to be delivered, pure and simple, from snares and disease.

Surely…

SURELY means the issue is settled. Whenever Jesus said, “Verily, verily…” in the gospels, He was saying “Absolutely. Beyond a shadow of a doubt.” This word “surely” is the exact same thing—God is saying, “I’ve made up My mind. It’s settled.”

He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler…

God is ready and willing to deliver you from danger. He is prepared to rescue you from any pitfall you may encounter. Of course, this doesn’t mean you have liberty to violate the Word of God or your conscience just because “God will cover it, no matter what.”

Remember Psalm 91:1? These promises are for you who seek to put the Lord first place in your life and decisions. (Satan tried to get Jesus to take a flying leap from the top of the Temple by quoting another verse from this Psalm—“Hey! God’s angels will catch You in their hands if You jump! Just do it, and everyone will know You’re God!” Jesus told him, “BUG OFF! I’m not putting My God to this kind of stupid test” (see Matthew 4:5-7; my paraphrase).

God knows how human people are; yet He cares for us nonetheless. Do you seek to put Him first? Then whether you’re perfect or not (and you’re not), He’s prepared to deliver—rescue, snatch you away, recover you, and pluck you out—from every conceivable trap, snare, or danger. He just wants you to look to Him first for help—and help will come.

I’ve experienced several occasions in which God came through for me in a big way. Car accidents were averted, violent people meaning to harm me backed off for no apparent reason (one man threatening to “martyr” my friend and me literally fell over backwards when I quoted God’s Word), and once, about ten years ago, I heard God tell me on a Monday not to mow my lawn on Thursday—no explanation, but when Wednesday came, I reluctantly mowed—and then mid-morning Thursday (my prime mowing time), as I sat looking out of my window—CRASH!! Down came a large silver maple across the width of my back yard—right where I would have been mowing!

The Lord is not limited to delivering you from physical danger, either; He is also keen to the moral, emotional, social, and relational dangers sneaking up on you. He may give you a subtle nudge to avoid a certain party, meeting, or trip; as you yield to His leading, you are sparing yourself unnecessary trouble. Even when someone actively seeks to undermine your reputation, He is willing to deliver you. When you lean on Him in purposeful trust, He’ll show you what to do—and what not to do. Obey Him, and you will see yourself rescued from big fat headaches and heartaches.

… And from the deadly pestilence.

As greatly as He cares for your safety, He also cares about your health. In fact, the Bible says, “He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sin and live to righteousness; for by His wounds you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24).

Don’t think the Lord isn’t aware of Covid-19, its variants, and every other disease out there, whether ancient or hot off the press. It’s His stated purpose to SURELY deliver you…from the deadly pestilence. He’s given you the tools to use—common sense and good hygiene knowledge—and has granted wonderful insight into how to build your immune health just for the asking. Above all, He expects you to trust Him with your body. He knows how to protect it; and even if you do contract some disease, SURELY He will be faithful to deliver you and to walk with you through it to the other side.

With everything as out of control as it seems to be now, I can’t think of any better place to park my focus: Surely He shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence.

Dorothy

© 2020; updated 2021, Dorothy Frick

What are you saying of Him?

Posted by Admin on Oct 6, 2021 in Psalm 91 | Comments Off on What are you saying of Him?

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust!” Psalm 91:2

We live in a turbulent time. So many things are happening that can send you into panic. Factions, friction, and fabrications about life and death matters swirl with hurricane force and demand not only your attention, but also your hope, your joy, and your peace. Nothing less than cowering fear, quiet resignation, or rabid anger is allowed in our cultural climate.

And here you stand, child of God. Do you think God was out of His mind for letting you come to this hour, this place, and to these issues? Do you wonder if He forgot how you don’t like this kind of high voltage environment or conflict of any kind?

OR maybe you like it too well. You may find yourself internally raging till the blood vessels pop out all over your neck as you fantasize your next tweet or post or conversation with a member of an opposing political viewpoint.

Or maybe you’re like I am at times—one moment freaked out, the next moment ready to take off someone’s head? (Figuratively speaking, of course.)

No matter your bent, Believer, the only way to achieve the will of God and to ensure that your hope, joy, peace, and sanity remain intact throughout the demonic storm in which we’ve found ourselves is emphasized in this Psalm.

What are you saying of the Lord? If you’ve moved into the Secret Place of the Most High; if you abide under the shadow of the Almighty, you need to SAY SO, especially now.

I don’t care what your personality type is, you need to speak out loud to God and tell Him who He is to you.

You are my Refuge. You, Lord, are my safety and shelter from danger, pursuit, and trouble. You are where I can rest in time of threat or distress. I can run to You and am safe, no matter the peril.

You are my Fortress. You, Sir, are my place of defense. You are a stronghold so fortified that enemy forces cannot break through. In You I am safe, and the evil one touches me not (1 John 5:18).

You are my God. Lord, I will acknowledge no other God but You. You are MY God. You are real; You are alive; and You care about me. I belong to You.

In You I will trust. I trust You today with everything that I will face. I will trust You tomorrow with everything that comes my way. I will trust You with every oppressive detail of life that is pulling and pushing, mauling and maligning to force me to bow to a version of truth not of You. When I am afraid, I will trust in You (Psalm 56:3); and as my mind is stayed on You, trusting, You will keep me in perfect peace (see Isaiah 26:3).

What are you saying of the Lord? Make it count.

© Dorothy Frick, 2021

Under the shadow of the Almighty

Posted by Admin on Sep 27, 2021 in Psalm 91 | Comments Off on Under the shadow of the Almighty

He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will abide under the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1

The Secret Place of the Most High is always available to anyone who dares to ask the Lord for refuge in a time of trouble. I know many people who, although they had no prior relationship to Jesus, experienced unexplainable intervention in awful situations when they simply asked Him for help. Without realizing it, they had stumbled into His Secret Place.

But did you know that this Secret Place was actually created to become your dwelling and not merely a safe place to run to during tough times? How do you find your way there permanently? Jesus said, “I am the Way”; and once you decide to make Him your home, He in turn, will make you HIS home. He said of this living arrangement, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock; if anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in to him and will dine with him, and he with Me” (Revelation 3:20).

The effect of making Him—the Most High—your dwelling place is this: You will live, 24/7, under His protective, far-reaching shadow.

Priceless benefits become yours when you abide under His shadow—and they are yours for a lifetime.

Proximity

When you are under the shadow of God, He is near, close enough to block incoming attacks of every kind. His arm is not so short that He cannot save you, nor is His ear deaf to your cries (see Isaiah 59:1). No; He is right there, present with you, His shadow hovering over you, and He will hear your cry and will grasp you firmly with His hand, pulling you out of harm’s way. His proximity is a Shadow benefit.

Hiddenness

Playing hide and seek as a kid, I loved hiding in deep foliage. As I sneaked away into the shadowy places, staying still, no one could ever find me. Think about the gift of camouflage with which God clothes little fawns. As they stand motionless in the shadows mixed with sunlight through the leaves above, they remain undetected by roaming predators. And as YOU remain steadfast, trusting Him during times of peril, His shadow will keep you hidden as danger passes by. Hiddenness is a Shadow benefit.

Refreshing

When I first wrote this, my area was under a multi-day excessive heat warning. Going outside was just shy of stepping into Shadrach, Meshach, and Abed-nego’s blazing furnace! On those daily walks around my neighborhood, the shade from large trees offered refreshing oases of cool as I passed under them. Yet as relieving as walking through deep shade on a sweltering day may feel, abiding under the shadow of the Almighty will restore your soul. The incessant heat of this culture’s raging turmoil, bent on sapping energy and strength, rolls off of you when you frequently find your way into the Secret Place. Refreshing is a Shadow benefit.

Miracles

In the early days of the church, miraculous healings were expected underneath a shadow. You see, signs and wonders were taking place at the hands of the apostles; Peter was preaching, and the fear of God was heavy upon the people. Many were being saved; and the sick were being carried out into the streets and laid on cots and pallets…just to get a chance to be under Peter’s shadow as he passed by. Acts 5:16 states it plainly…the sick and afflicted were ALL being healed.

YOU are under a shadow of far greater effect than Peter’s. YOU are under the shadow of the ALMIGHTY, the miracle-working God. As you think on the security that is yours in this secret place under the  shadow of His presence, you can boldly pour out your requests before Him—however impossible your situation may be—and know that He is here, listening, loving, and willing to move on your behalf. The miraculous is a Shadow benefit.

As you saturate yourself in the awareness of all the benefits that are yours under the shadow of the Almighty, those things will become more and more real to you; but don’t forget: All these blessings are yours because you have chosen to shelter in Secret Place with the Most High.

I pray you grow closer to Him day by day while abiding under the shadow of the Almighty,

© Dorothy Frick, 2021