Read: Psalm 91:3-4

Years ago, a student asked me about this psalm. Her question was if God would really keep all evil from her life if she trusted in him. Would her life be free from all trouble?

Perhaps that is what we are looking for – a life completely devoid of all trouble or hardship. For that, I think we would be dead and living in eternity with Jesus. Life comes with difficulty. It’s a package deal, beginning in the garden when Adam and Eve went their own way.

I believe the greater value of this psalm, the message I take away from it, is that I will never be alone in whatever comes my way. Verse four from today’s reading says, “his faithful promises are your armor and protection.”

What are his faithful promises? Here are a few of my favorites:

John 15:15-16: I am his friend, not his slave. I am chosen and appointed.

John 16:32-33: He knows what it is to be on his own and he needed to trust in the presence of the Father. Peace comes from him in spite of trouble here in this world.

Isaiah 43:1-3a: This affirms again that I am chosen, I am his. Notice these verses say when you go through deep waters, when you go through rivers of difficulty, when you walk through fire of oppression. It doesn’t say IF.

A life without difficulty is an unrealistic expectation. It’s up to you. Do you want to join with the Creator of the universe to face the challenges of life OR do you want to go it alone?

What do you choose?