Where to Find True Rest and Security

/ Kim Smith

Summer in the Psalms – Week Five – Psalm 91:1-4

I was wide awake at three in the morning. My mind was tossing and turning, growing anxious about everything from the tasks that filled my lengthy to-do list to some recent unresolved health challenges. I tried deep breathing, getting a drink of water and even rearranging my pillow, but I continued to lay awake stressed and frustrated.

After wasting an hour trying to will away my struggles, I decided to pray. I mean really pray and not just the haphazard “Lord make my problem go away” prayer, but a true conversation with God. I asked Him to still my mind and relieve the tension in my body. I named my fears and surrendered them over to Him. The next thing I remember was my alarm buzzing announcing the start of a new day.

My experience and the outcome are no mystery. The Scriptures tells us over and over that when we entrust God with our thoughts, fears, and decisions, He is faithful to give us peace and protection.

Today we will study how to find true rest and safety.
Read Psalm 91:1-4.

Psalm 91:1-4 (NLT)

1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.

Write down your answers to the following questions:

  1. What does the passage say about God?
  2. What promises or claims are written in the passage?

Finding True Rest

During that sleepless night weeks ago, all I wanted was rest. At a time when everyone else was fast asleep, recharging their minds and bodies for another day, I was consumed by stress and anxiety. I needed physical rest, but I also needed peace of mind and heart, spiritual rest.

Thankfully, Psalm 91:1 gives us the antidote for physical and spiritual restlessness. It says, “those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest” (emphasis added). Rest is promised to those who seek intimacy with God. When we share our thoughts, emotions, time, and fears with Jesus, He protects us and gives us the physical and spiritual rest we need.  C.H. Spurgeon said it this way, “Communion with God is safety.” Nearness to God cultivates complete rest and safety.

Temporary Relief

Unfortunately, unlike the psalmist, running to Jesus isn’t always my first instinct. In Psalm 91:2 we read, “He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him” (emphasis added). Webster’s Dictionary defines refuge as shelter, security, relief or escape. As I examine my own life and the ways I look for relief and escape, Jesus doesn’t always top that list. In the past month alone, I can point to times I’ve looked for security or relief in the approval of others (in-person and on social media), the amount of money in my bank account, binge watching TV, even eating a bowl of ice cream and munching on my favorite cookie. I depend too much on temporary, worldly solutions to fix problems God has already solved.

By the end of verse 2 we see the psalmist declare God alone as his place of safety because of his unwavering trust in the Lord. May our trust in Jesus and His plans for us continue to grow as we run to Him in all circumstances.

Lord, teach me to seek you first and stop relying on earthly things and their temporary relief. I pray my heart learns what my head already knows, that you are trustworthy. Amen.

Additional Resources:

This is post five in the Summer in the Psalms series. If you missed the first four posts, you can read them here: 

Leave a Reply