“A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you.” (Psalm 91:7 NKJV)
“Even in a time of disaster, with thousands and thousands being killed, you will remain unscathed and unharmed.” (Psalm 91:7 TPT)
“Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.” (Psalm 91:7 NLT)
“A thousand may fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, but danger will not come near you.” (Psalm 91:7 AMP)
“Though a thousand fall at your side and ten thousand at your right hand, the pestilence will not reach you.” (Psalm 91:7 HCSB)
“Thousands will fall by your side and ten thousand by your right hand, and they shall not come near you.” (Psalm 91:7 ABIPE)
Wow! The promise of Psalm 91:7 is so far removed from the “natural” reality of my life, and the lives of everyone that I know, that it becomes a “fantasy” if I let it. Not too long ago, as I was sharing this promise with a brother in Christ, his reaction was that it was just a “poem” and that I couldn’t build a “doctrine” out of it. His comment set me back on my heels, and really got me thinking.
There have been many times in my life when I have watered down the promises of Scripture because in comparison to what seems to be “normal” in life, the promises are ‘too good to be true.” Theologically, much of the religous world has filled this gap between the promises given, and the “normal christian life,” by moving the “good stuff’ to either the “Millenium” or “Heaven.” Interestingly enough, Jesus didn’t do that.
Jesus, as a man fully submitted to the Holy Spirit, in complete harmony with His Father, did not push the “good stuff” off into the future. He brought the Kingdom of Heaven to the earth with Him, and demonstrated Psalm 91:7 in His life and ministry every day. He then turned to you and me and challenged us to do the same.
I am completely committed to settling for nothing less than the full manifestation of verse 7 in my life today, and every day from this point forward. If my “experience” falls short, I am going to rely on my Daddy to give me the strength to stand against my “experience” in full expectation of the manifestation of the promise. It is time to see the promises of God invade every aspect of my life (spirit, soul, body, family, finances, etc.) as I take the Kingdom by force. The best part is that if I will take a stand, relying on the power of the Spirit, I will soon enter into rest. There will be a time in which I will no longer be battling to receive. Instead I will begin resting in what I already possess. It may start with a battle but it will move into a resting place (a secret place, shelter, and shadow of the Most High, Almighty God – my Daddy).
This world is filled with the ravages of war. My enemy roams the earth night and day seeking people to devour. He does everything in his power to steal, kill, and destroy the human race. He gets brother to fight brother. Sister to tear down sister. Parents to abuse their children. Children to rebel against their parents. Races to rail against races, Nations to rise up against nations. There are thousands falling all around me every day. I feel the presence of death and dying all around me every day. But Praise God, I have the promise that it won’t touch me personally. I may see it, hear it, smell it, and even taste it, but when I stand on this promise I WILL NOT TOUCH IT!
I am ready to grab hold of…
…Eric’s Life Lesson # 217: Life in the Secret Place of the Most High (Psalm 91) Part 8 – Verse 7