Psalm 91
March 21, 2020 | By John Daoud, MY ‘21. John is majoring in Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations.
“A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.”
“It is break, isn’t it?”
At least, that’s what I keep saying to myself. Yet the person least convinced by anything I have to say is, naturally, myself. After all, it doesn’t feel like a break. School is being moved online, students are scrambling for textbooks and personal items, there’s a run on grocery essentials, and each hour seems to bring us one step closer to apocalyptic doom.
In the midst of all of these things and more, the many group chats I’m in (thanks, very large Egyptian family and very lovely Church “fam”) have been blowing up with one particular message, that of Psalm 91. I’ve reproduced it below:
You who live in the shelter of the Most High,
who abide in the shadow of the Almighty,
will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress;
my God, in whom I trust.”
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler
and from the deadly pestilence;
he will cover you with his pinions,
and under his wings you will find refuge;
his faithfulness is a shield and buckler.
You will not fear the terror of the night,
or the arrow that flies by day,
or the pestilence that stalks in darkness,
or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side,
ten thousand at your right hand,
but it will not come near you.
You will only look with your eyes
and see the punishment of the wicked.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
the Most High your dwelling place,
no evil shall befall you,
no scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you
to guard you in all your ways.
On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion and the adder,
the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.
Those who love me, I will deliver;
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me, I will answer them;
I will be with them in trouble,
I will rescue them and honor them.
With long life I will satisfy them,
and show them my salvation.
(Psalm 91, NRSV)
To get into the whole psalm would be far too much. Before anything, I urge you to pray it. Let the words come off your tongue and feel your lips moving. Breathe in between the sentences. Take your time with it. And as you do, find a line that moves you. Spend a few minutes on it. Repeat it a few times. Get familiar with it. That’s all I’m asking. And that’s all I’m sharing.
For today, that’s, “A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.” Maybe it’s because of the COVID-19 pandemic, or maybe it’s because of other personal reasons. But maybe, it’s because of the sense of absolute power it conveys. It’s no secret, I’m a control freak. I like to be in charge, down to the detail. But here, this verse reminds me that I am absolutely nothing and that God is everything. God is all-powerful, all-mighty, and all-knowing. And more importantly (at least as far as I’m concerned), He’s got my back. Thousands can fall, but it is through His power and love that I have not. Isn’t that incredible? I think so. And so, for now at least, it’s enough.