This year I started listening to the audio Bible more than reading it. It’s an awesome practice for those who have read the Bible a couple of times. Listening reveals details we tend to skip over with our eyes.
As I was cooking dinner one evening I turned to Psalm 91. It’s a go-to Scripture when I want my trust in God to be strengthened. This time I was chopping vegetables and listening. Suddenly, one verse made me stop. It said something radical I’ve never noticed before.
No evil shall be allowed to befall you.
Surely, I got it wrong. It can’t be that no evil is allowed. To make sure I opened my Bible to read it.
… no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. (Psalm 91:10, ESV)
It actually says that! I stood in shock for a moment. Can it be true that no evil is allowed to befall me?
Statistical probability
This is a radical statement. Yet, it’s not my idea. God put it into His Word. I don’t get to decide whether it’s true or not.
How would my life look if I actually believed this statement? Well, that would mean I’m invincible. I can do anything and walk out untouched.
Many times my faith is paired up with statistical probability. If coronavirus takes out such a small percentage of people my age, I’m sure I will be okay because, on top of it, I have faith.
But then I look at Psalm 91 and the statistics God promises.
A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. (Psalm 91:7, ESV)
It paints a picture as if you’re in the middle of a disaster. It hits everyone, but you’re one of a thousand to go through it untouched. It goes on to say even if there are ten thousand, you’ll be fine.
Either God is real and He cares for us, or we need to pack our stuff and join the atheists because we are reading fairytales.
If coronavirus was 99.999% deadly, don’t worry, says Psalm 91. You’re the one that will stand. The likelihood of being the one of ten thousand is equal to 0.0001%. Isn’t that comforting?
Statistically looking at Psalm 91 suggests that I need to think I’m an anomaly. It creates a picture that you make it against all the odds.
What do you seek?
The statistics I mentioned are only for the purpose of showing how radical verse 10 is. However, God doesn’t want us to trust in statistics, but in Him. Your survivability is 100% because you have made the Lord your dwelling place (Psalm 91:9, ESV).
What is the point of Psalm 91? Is it to give you means to avoid all the evil or to highlight the fact that God is your fortress?
Focus matters. One way to live your life is to make safety your goal. In that case, God would be a tool. Another way is to make God your focus, who is your refuge, fortress and place of safety.
When Daniel was in the den of lions, he wasn’t trying to use any means possible and survive. No, he made it all about honoring God. He put God first and his life second. And, God has shut the mouths of the lions (Daniel 6:22).
It comes down to one question: What do you seek? Do you seek benefits and blessings using God as a way to get them? Or do you seek God Himself?
God shows no hospitality to evil
When God becomes the treasure of your heart, you automatically enter the place of safety. Until then, He cares for you but you make compromises that lead you into dangerous places. Relying on a method, prayer or mantra is like a stronghold of hay. If the enemy approaches you with fiery arrows, you know you have no chance.
The promise that “no evil shall be allowed to befall you” is fulfilled because you’re living with God, where no evil dares to enter. Safety is no longer a chance, but a guarantee.
For more useful insights and tips subscribe to my monthly newsletter.
You can read more on:
- Medium.com (the place where I post my stories first)
- Minds Page
- Abundant Life Chronicles Blog
