The Book of Psalms is included in the Old Testament of the Bible and includes 150 Psalms.
The Psalms offer praise to God and give us direction for leading Christian lives and leaning on Him during our trials and challenges.
Psalm 91 meaning holds a special place as a psalm of protection through God’s presence. It offers hope and courage to walk through the fires of life unscathed when God is at our side.
Psalm 91 Prayer
This version of Psalm 91 Prayer uses the NIV bible translation.
1 Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say 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 say, “The Lord is my refuge,” and you make the Most High your dwelling, 10 no harm will overtake 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 on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.
14 “Because he [a child of God – you!] loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.
16 With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.”
Psalm 91 Meaning
Psalm 91 is of great comfort to Christians who face times of trouble, including illness, suffering, anxiety, and every sort of human challenge.
It’s a prayer and a promise of the protection of God for His children.
The meaning of Psalm 91 is that Christ’s followers are safe under God’s protection. Whatever challenge we face, we can count on the promise of God’s love and His spiritual shield of armor.
Psalm 91 calls out a variety of ways we can find ourselves in trouble. We might be caught in the snare of the fowler (bird trap), under the attack of a young lion, facing noisome pestilence (evil spirit), terror of the night, deadly diseases, and various dangers.
Psalm 91 covers all bad things that might threaten us. Although some of the dangers listed in the Psalm aren’t actual threats to most of us today (lions and bird traps, for example), the message is that we have protection through any danger we face when God is at our side.
Anything that might happen to us physically cannot destroy us spiritually. God will make everything work for the good, even in times when our suffering seems long.
Message of Psalm 91
The message of Psalm 91 is of divine protection for all believers.
Psalm 91 is God’s promise that whatever challenges we face in life, we can count on Him to be our fortress and our rock. He is our place of safety.
We are not alone when we suffer adversity. God rescues us and protects us against evil and any threats that may come our way. He is our refuge in whom we can trust.
When we call on Him, He will answer us and remain by our side.
Does Psalm 91 mean Christians will never get sick or hurt? Does it mean we will never face evil or adversity? No, it doesn’t mean any of those things.
It means that Jesus Christ is always by our side and that He is our dwelling place.
We can count on Him and His strength to act on our behalf and for our benefit. It’s a promise that we will never face a challenge we can’t handle without His guidance and support and that nothing can hurt us spiritually when we stay within His shadow – that is, close to Him.
We are protected through God’s promises.
Psalm 91 Meaning Verse by Verse
Psalm 91 is only 16 verses long, but it is packed with promises of God’s protection. Below, we’ll discuss the meaning of the most popular verses; Psalm 91:1, Psalm 91:2, Psalm 91:13, and Psalm 91:16.
I used the New International Version (NIV) Bible translation for this article, so the wording may vary from your personal favorite translation. In any case, the meaning of the verses will be similar.
What does Psalm 91 1 mean?
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. Psalm 91:1
Psalm 91:1 means that whoever dwells in the heart of God (meaning ‘believers’) will find rest (peace and protection) whenever they stay near to God – in His shadow.
Psalm 91:1 promises God’s people that He will provide everything we need when we stay close to Him.
Psalm 91 2 Meaning
I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Psalm 91:2
In Psalm 91:2, the psalmist describes the divine roles we can expect from the Lord.
He is our refuge; a safe place where we can go to find shelter and protection from the storms in life.
He is our fortress; an indestructible and impenetrable force that surrounds us and prevents evil things from entering.
He is our God, Creator, Supreme Being, and Heavenly Father. He is the most superlative Being that ever was, is, and is to come.
We can trust Him. We never have to fear or doubt that God is for us.
We never have to wonder whether God will act with our best interest in mind – He will! We can trust that God’s will will result in the best possible outcome for our life, even when it doesn’t look like it or feel like it.
We can trust God explicitly.
Psalm 91 13 Meaning
You will tread on the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. Psalm 91:13
Psalm 91:13 meaning is both literal and figurative.
Literally, there are examples in the Bible in which God protected His people in the wilderness. He gave the disciples protection from serpents and scorpions.
3 Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand. 4 When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand, they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.” 5 But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects. Acts 28:3-5
Remember, God said all things are possible with Him! (Matthew 19:26)
Figuratively, the serpent represents the devil. The lion also has great power to kill and maim. Psalm 91:13 says we will tread on these and trample them.
Instead of being defeated, we will trample all over the troubles that come our way! With God, nothing can penetrate our spiritual armor, not even the most ferocious or dangerous beings or things.
Psalm 91 Verse 16 Meaning
With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation. Psalm 91:16
Verse 16 is God’s Word that eternal life awaits those who stay close to Him. Our God of Love promises a long life, not necessarily during our human existence, but in His eternal promised land of Heaven.
In the final verses of Psalm 91, God speaks about the great security He offers the ones who come to Him and stay near. God’s children who love Him will be rescued, protected, answered, and delivered.
What an amazing promise of divine grace!
Psalm 91 Personal Prayer
Psalm 91 is a prayer that can be read from your heart to carry you through difficult times.
When the Psalm isn’t at your fingertips, you can still use it as the basis for a short prayer. It’s easy to call out to God for whatever circumstance you’re facing at the time.
The shortest personal prayer of protection would be something as simple as, Protect me, Lord! – or whatever comes to your heart and mind at the time.
If you would like a more substantial Psalm 91 personal prayer, you could use something like this:
My God, you are my refuge and my fortress. I call on you to protect me from my enemies. Hold me close and save me from harm. Lord, trample the evil that threatens to overtake me. Guard me and carry me through my troubles. I trust in You. Amen.
Who Wrote Psalm 91 and Why
In the Bible, the author of Psalm 91 is listed as Anonymous. Some theologians speculate that the author may have been Moses or David, but it is not certain.
Because the author is unknown, the reason for writing Psalm 91 is also unknown. It seems clear that the author was in distress, likely due to a plague, famine, or widespread calamity.
In 2 Samuel 24, David begs God to not punish the people with a plague that was caused by David’s actions. David built an altar and God had mercy on the people.
It may have been a situation like this in which the author was calling upon and trusting in God’s mercy to protect His people.
A Lyrical Version of Psalm 91
You’re probably familiar with the song ‘On Eagle’s Wings’. It’s a beautiful song that’s based on Psalm 91. It’s often played at funerals for the hope it brings to Christians in God’s promise of salvation.
Here’s one version: On Eagle’s Wings – Michael Joncas [OFFICIAL LYRIC VIDEO]
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More Psalms!
Do you love the Psalms or want to learn more? There are so many great books and devotionals to help you on your journey! If you want to dig deeper into Psalm 91, try one of these!
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Do you love digging into books of the Bible? We’ve got life lessons from all of the Parables of Jesus that will guide you in your Christian journey.
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