“If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.” Psalm 91:9-10 (NLT)
Its undeniable that much of Psalm 91 is about God’s promise to keep illness from even coming close to those who make Him their shelter – those who are yielded to His Lordship and spend time in His presence. Look at corroborating verses throughout the ninety-first Psalm:
Verses 2-3: “This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him. For He will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.”
Verses 6-7 “Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, thought ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.”
Does this mean that if a Christian gets sick that they have not made God their shelter? I believe the answer to this question is found in John 9:2-3. There was a man that had been born blind. His disciples asked Jesus whose sin allowed the blindness in – was it the man’s sin or was it the parents’ sin? Their question was not unusual. The old covenant taught that obedience to the law brought blessing and disobedience brought cursing. Jesus answered, “It was not because of his sins or his parent’s sins…this happened so the power of God could be seen in him.” Then Jesus healed the man. So we see that if a believer is sick, it isn’t always because they have done something to bring it upon themselves. However, the Bible tell us in John 3:23 that all of us have sinned and fallen short of knowing the full glory of God. None of us have a lived a perfect life that is deserving of God’s blessings. Our hope for protection from disease under the new covenant is found in Jesus Christ. He took the penalty for sin so that our position with God is based on grace. If we choose to, we can yield our life to Him and come underneath the shelter of the Most High. He will protect us from disease as we spend time in His presence. He has also offered to heal us of any disease that we may encounter while living on the earth.
Application: Thank God for the protection He has given you from disease. If you have an illness in your body, bring yourself into God’s presence and find the healing you need.