Psalm 91

I read a blog online some time back that, frankly, made me a little sick. The author wrote about how he and his wife—in an effort to spice things up in their marriage—pursued a trail of endless drugs and multiple sexual partners… only to be left empty, loveless, and divorced. So sad! The author concluded by saying that while his wife often said that “More is more,” it didn’t turn out to be true when it came to sex.

I immediately thought of that blog when I read the opening of today’s psalm: “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.’” (vs 1-2)

The psalmist went on to list the things you would be spared if you hung out in God’s shelter:

every trap
deadly diseases
terror
violence
plagues

Obviously, the psalmist is referring to something other than everyday dying. People who are fully committed to the Lord get cancer. But I think what the author is getting at are all the blessings that come from doing things God’s way.

Often, we think of God’s law as something restrictive, almost like it’s only there to curb our fun! Maybe we think that if we could only do away with His law, we’d really be free to do anything we want. This idea permeated the sexual revolution of the 60s. People thought that sexual morality was something leftover from the Victorian Era—as if we only needed to free ourselves from the shackles of our own antiquated thinking.

But as I look around at society today, it has become clear to me that God’s way of doing things—rather than restricting freedom—is what preserves freedom. In the area of sex, for example, those who follow God’s blueprint—one man and one woman sharing sexual intimacy only ever with each other in the context of a marital commitment—are totally free to do anything they want in the bedroom. They don’t have to deal with the fear of contracting a disease or encountering emotional baggage from past sexual relationships. They don’t have to worry about being compared sexually to other men or women. They don’t have to use condoms or worry about “safe” sex.

It is those who do not follow God’s blueprint, on the other hand, who find themselves restricted and limited—not free to enjoy sex as God created it to be. They become weighed down with guilt, fear, and intense emotions. They never experience the joy of giving themselves wholly to only one person. So much of their freedom is curtailed!

God is a shelter. And He is the only shelter. In every area of life, He has given us governing principles to follow so that life can be a delight and not a drudgery. Those who dwell in His shelter will truly find rest in His shadow. Haven’t you had enough of the world telling you how to be happy and free, only to have it all end in misery and bondage? Now is the time to come to God to learn what true freedom is all about! Let Him be your refuge and fortress!