God Is My Refuge and Fortress. Psalm 91:2

Psalm 91:2 ESV

I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”

Finding Protection in God’s Word in Psalm 91:2

• Here are other translations of this verse:
• “I will say of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortress, my God; on Him I lean and rely, and in Him I [confidently] trust!” (AMPC).
• “This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him” (NLT).
• I will say to the Lord. “To the Lord” is one word in Hebrew. It includes God’s holiest name, יְהֹוָה, sometimes pronounced Yahweh. It has the prepositional prefix, le, meaning to, for or of. Most translations translate this, “of the Lord” as if we were saying this to ourselves or others. It can either be “to the Lord” or “of the Lord”! We need to continually speak truth to the Lord, to others and to ourselves.
• Our words have power. Whatever we say becomes our reality. It’s not enough to just believe the truth; we need to say it out loud. When we speak aloud, the truth in this verse (or any Scripture), we accomplish the following:
• We remind ourselves of the truth, so it becomes more real to us.
• We remind the Lord that we trust Him and believe that He is who He says He is.
• We can encourage others to believe the truth.
• We put the evil one on notice that this is our reality. We are trusting God.
• What does Luke 1:37 (AMPC) say to you? “With God nothing is ever impossible and no word from God shall be without power or impossible of fulfillment.” (This is a better translation of this verse than many translations because the Greek mentions God’s word. The Greek here for word is rhema, the spoken word.) Nothing God has ever spoken in His Word or to us directly is without miraculous power, and therefore not impossible.
• What does John 15:7 (TPT) add? “If you live in life-union with me and if my words live powerfully within you—then you can ask whatever you desire and it will be done.” When we speak God’s Word, we know we are in alignment with Him and He fulfills His Word.[1]
• Notice how a Gentile recognized the power of words in Matthew 8:8, 10, 13 (TLV): “The centurion said, ‘Master, I’m not worthy to have You come under my roof. But just say the word and my servant will be healed. … Now when Yeshua [Jesus] heard this, He marveled and said to those who were following, ‘Amen, I tell you, I have not found anyone in Israel with such great faith!’ … Then Yeshua said to the centurion, ‘Go. As you have believed, let it be done for you.’ And the servant was healed in that same hour.”
• Do you have faith like the officer? Why or why not?
• When the Roman officer believed and he spoke, Jesus did it. My goal is to pray such bold prayers that God would say to me: “Let it be done as you have believed.”
• Physical weapons are operated with hands, but we operate spiritual weapons with our mouths and our faith. (See Romans 10:9–10). When we speak the truth of God’s Word, we experience the results.
• God is my refuge. The word for refuge in Hebrew also means hope, shelter and trust. What do these verses say to you? How has God been your refuge?
• Psalm 34:8 (ESV): “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good! Blessed is the man who takes refuge in him!”
• Psalm 46:1 (AMPC): “God is our Refuge and Strength [mighty and impenetrable to temptation], a very present and well-proved help in trouble.”
• Psalm 46:11 (AMPC): “The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our Refuge (our High Tower and Stronghold).”
• Psalm 90:1–2 (CSB): “Lord, you have been our refuge in every generation. Before the mountains were born, before you gave birth to the earth and the world, from eternity to eternity, you are God.”
• God is my fortress. The word for fortress in Hebrew also means castle, defense, fort, (strong) hold and strong place. This is the same word as Masada, the mountaintop fortress in southern Israel where the Jews retreated from their enemies.
• Psalm 18:2 (ESV) adds, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer, my God, my rock, in whom I take refuge, my shield, and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold.”
• In what ways has God been like a fortress for you?
• He is my God. He is the one we worship. He is the all-powerful creator of the universe, yet He is our personal God. He cares about you and me personally, not just about the universe or about a nation. See Psalm 90:2 above. How have you experienced the personal side of God’s character?
• My God in whom I trust. The word for trust in Hebrew also means to be confident, bold, sure, put confidence in, and (make to) hope or trust. Can you honestly say this? If not, what might need to change?
• It is important to express your trust in God. It reminds your soul and subconscious that God is trustworthy—you can rely on Him, no matter what may happen around you. It’s also important to recognize that He is not only a refuge, but he is your He is not only a fortress, but he is your fortress. He is not only a God or some impersonal God, but he is your God. He is personal in each of these. How might recognizing how personal God is to you give you strength or courage?
• After I had a huge chunk taken out of the bottom of my foot from melanoma, I couldn’t walk or drive for four months. One day I was feeling very depressed, yet a young woman I was mentoring was coming over. I knew I needed to change my feelings, so I began speaking the truth from the Word. By the time she arrived, I was full of joy and had a wonderful time with her. Depression turned to joy as I changed how I thought and spoke!
• It is up to us whether the words we speak become a pleasure or a prison. Do you believe this? When have you seen God respond to your words, either positively or negatively?
• What is God saying to you today through this verse?
• How can you apply the truth in this verse?
• Who might need to hear you speaking the truth in this verse? When will you share it?

A Prayer for You Based on Psalm 91:2

God, I want to have faith that amazes You, the kind that You will point out as being great faith. I know I have a long way to go. Help me, Lord, to trust You more, relying on You so completely that nothing can shake my confidence in You. I want to recognize and boldly proclaim the truth of who You are—my refuge, fortress, and the God in whom I trust. Would you remind me to speak your Word, especially when I am struggling in any way?

An Affirmation to Make Based on Psalm 91:2

I declare about the Lord that He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; He is my God, and I trust Him.

Pray Psalm 91.

Actions to Take

What might you need to do to apply this verse in your life? You could also write your own prayer, expressing what God is revealing to you today.

[1] To learn more, see a study on this verse in the Appendix.

Get a copy of Hidden from Harm on Amazon or learn more about it here.

Relationship Resources, Inc. will use the information you provide on this form to send you your free copy of Hidden from Harm and to provide occasional updates. We will send these by email. You can change your mind at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in the footer of any email you receive from us, or by contacting us at gaylyn@relationshipresources.org. We will treat your information with respect. For more information about our privacy practices please visit our website. By clicking above, you agree that we may process your information in accordance with these terms. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By clicking above to subscribe, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing. Learn more about Mailchimp’s privacy practices at https://mailchimp.com/legal/.

© 2021 Relationship Resources. Excerpted from Hidden from Harm: Powerful Promises found in Psalm 91.