Psalm 91

This past Sunday the choir sang a piece based on the 91st Psalm:

Psalm 91
1 He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. [a]
2 I will say [b] of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust."
3 Surely he will save you from the fowler's snare
and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.
5 You will not fear the terror of night,
nor the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness,
nor the plague that destroys at midday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
8 You will only observe with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
9 If you make the Most High your dwelling—
even the LORD, who is my refuge-
10 then no harm will befall you,
no disaster will come near your tent.
11 For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways;
12 they will lift you up in their hands,
so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread upon the lion and the cobra;
you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 "Because he loves me," says the LORD, "I will rescue him;
I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call upon me, and I will answer him;
I will be with him in trouble,
I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life will I satisfy him
and show him my salvation."

I know it's a complicated Psalm because surely we wonder at times if God will rescue us or if we are experience His deliverance.

I chose this Psalm as the text at my Granny's funeral. And while the choir sang, I was overcome with emotion, longing for her. I also took comfort in hearing this promise, which I believe could be fulfilled after death and not necessarily during my life in this realm. Maybe this promise means that I will rest in the shadow of the Almighty when I have shuffled off this mortal coil. That's how I envision it: that as I move from conscious dwelling here in this life to a new realm with my Creator, my Mother, Father God will rescue me. The angels will guard me and I won't fear the terror of the night.