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If you want to pray a prayer of protection, Psalm 91 may be your best bet.
The power of Psalms as a book written by David, Moses, and other authors, lies in the fact that it’s honest, poetic, and creatively written.
One of the most popular chapters in this book is Psalm 91.
But what is the meaning of Psalm 91?
We will explore this in more detail.
Prayer of Protection Psalm 91
How can I use Psalm 91 for prayer?
The truth is as human beings, when we feel scared, alone, and stressed it can be difficult to find words of prayer. When you are weak, you need someone or something else to make you strong again. The Bible even says the Holy Spirit helps us to pray in our times of need.
“Likewise, the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered” Romans 8:26 (NKJV)
God’s word is spirit-filled. We don’t have to think of our own words to pray but we can simply pray the words in the Bible. Our prayer life doesn’t have to die in challenging times.
The words of Psalm 91 are a wonderful prayer to repeat as you go through tough times. You can have it as wall art in your home and repeat the word as a prayer to God. Or just simply open the Bible and read it out loud, believing every word, and then say “Amen.”
God honors His word and is faithful to do what it says. That’s why praying powerful chapters like Psalm 91 in the Bible is one of the most effective ways to pray so God can hear and answer us.
We often complicate prayer with fancy words and we can end up rambling to God. But God wants us to be genuine because He looks at our hearts and intentions. So go on and use this psalm as a prayer to the Lord.
How is Psalm 91 a prayer of protection?
Psalm 91 is a prayer of protection because it shows us that we have a real enemy: the devil who wants to attack us and destroy us. He does this through physical danger brought about by wicked people, deadly pestilence, times of famine, plagues, disasters, or deadly diseases.
The devil also deceives us and lays the fowler’s snares and traps for us in the form of temptations and false promises of love, joy, and peace in anything or anyone else other than God.
The protection scriptures in Psalm 91 give us comfort and assurance of God’s power to deliver us from the devil’s work. This chapter is an effective weapon to hold onto, recite and remember in times of trouble.
God puts a hedge of protection around us as His children by sending his angels to watch us, hiding us under His wings and being a refuge and fortress around us and our loved ones.
The rest of the Psalm is packed with God’s promises for long life, peace, salvation, deliverance, and God’s presence which we need to sustain and satisfy us in our daily lives.
Psalm 91:1 Meaning
The beginning of Psalm 91 is quite important. It focuses on God’s protection which we find in His divine presence.
“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.” Psalm 91:1 (NKJV)
A dwelling place is a place that you stay in not a place you visit. Jesus Christ encourages us to abide in Him and He will abide in us so we can bear fruit in the kingdom of God.
“Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.” John 15:4
God’s presence is a safe place where we can abide through prayer and His word. When we do that we’ll grow close to God and His shadow will fall upon us. Drawing near to God ensures that we receive His love and protection.
But what is the secret place of the Most High? In the past, only the high priest used to enter this secret place or Holy of holies once a year to atone for the people’s sins. But when Jesus died all this changed.
“But Christ came as High Priest of the good things to come, with the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands, that is, not of this creation. Not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood He entered the Most Holy Place once for all, having obtained eternal redemption.” Hebrews 9:11-12
“Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.” Hebrews 4:16
Apostle Paul in Hebrews says the Lord Jesus Christ is now the Ultimate High Priest and has given us access to the secret place of God. We can come to God freely and approach Him confidently by faith so that we can find the help we need from Him. That’s truly amazing.
Psalm 91:4 Meaning
As Psalm 91 talks about God’s protection, it gives us a picture of what this protection might look like. That’s where Psalm 91:4 comes in.
“He shall cover you with His feathers, And under His wings you shall take refuge; His truth shall be your shield and buckler.” Psalm 91:4
In this verse, God is likened to a mother bird protecting its young and giving them a safe place to live, enjoy and grow. A bird is the only living animal with feathers and they are not just for flying because even ostriches that don’t fly have feathers.
Feathers keep the mother bird and its young ones warm. They protect the birds from elements such as the wind and rain so while they are soft and fluffy, they’re also strong. What an amazing way for us to picture the way God protects us.
We are encouraged to take refuge in God. In times of danger and trouble, God’s wings are a hiding place, safe haven, and sanctuary.
When the enemy attempts to deceive us, tempt us, and lead us astray, we look to the Bible which has the truth of who God is and who we are. That truth also protects us like a shield and buckler when we encounter challenges in the journey of life.
Psalm 91:11 Meaning
Our Good God offers us His faithful promise of covering by assuring us that He will send angels to keep and protect us. This is one of the ways God keeps us safe as His children.
“For He shall give His angels charge over you, To keep you in all your ways.” Psalm 91:11
The angels are God’s servants sent to keep us from harm and preserve us. We don’t pray to but we thank God for them. While we can’t physically see the angels, we have faith and believe that they are around us as we live our daily lives.
This powerful quote from Charles Spurgeon shows us all the multiple ways angels are protecting us that we may not know of until we get to heaven.
“How angels thus keep us we cannot tell. Whether they repel demons, counteract spiritual plots, or even ward off the subtler physical forces of disease, we do not know. Perhaps we shall one day stand amazed at the multiplied services which the unseen bands have rendered to us.” Charle Spurgeon
What is the power of Psalm 91?
We live in a fallen world full of danger, uncertainty, chaos, and troubles. Even as children of God, because we are in the world, we are not exempted from experiencing a life of challenges. Bad things do happen to good people.
That’s why we need to lean on God’s word and truth in times of great need. His word will guide us and lead us on the right path. Psalm 91 is one such chapter in the Bible.
Because we live in a dangerous world, it’s easy for us to become scared. One of the biggest hindrances to us walking in our purpose as God’s children and living a joyful and peaceful life is the spirit of fear. We are scared of the past, present, and even what the future will bring.
“Fear is a self-imposed prison that will keep you from becoming what God intends for you to be. You must move against it with the weapons of faith and love.”– Rick Warren
We are scared because we know that we are limited and powerless over a lot of things in our daily life. That’s where the Bible comes in, especially the Book of Psalms. In it, we see the writer of the psalm (researchers are not sure if it was David or Moses) talking about fear and that God is our Ultimate protector to help us overcome fear.
He comforts us in times of trouble and we see a visual picture of all the various ways He does that. The God of Israel is a great lion who promises us His protection as we rest in the shade of the Almighty.
This Psalm is filled with divine words of God’s power and His divine protection. The promises of God to those who trust and love Him make this a beautiful prayer that we can use in difficult times.
Psalm 91 is worth memorizing and remembering because it’s an encouraging prayer of God’s love and care for us. In times of uncertainty instead of choosing worry and anxiety, we can then declare these proclamations of faith over ourselves and our families.
Psalm 91 Prayer for Children
Teaching our children to pray is one of the most important things we can do as parents. Demonstrating to our kids that we rely on the power of God to help us in our daily lives helps them and us to grow spiritually.
We can’t completely protect our kids because we are not with them all the time so praying for their protection is key. But God is with them always. So when we teach them to pray Psalm 91, they can call upon the name of the Lord in times of trouble.
Here are 4 short Psalm 91 Prayers for children.
“Dear God, you are my refuge and fortress. I trust you. I will seek shelter by going to you in prayer whenever I am scared. Amen.”
“Thank You, Lord, for You and my safe place. I appreciate the angels that You’ve sent to protect me today and every day. I give you all the praise. Amen.”
“Lord Jesus, you are My God, and l trust in You because You are my hiding place. Thank You for telling me that l can call upon You and You will answer me in times of trouble. Thank You for your love, Lord. Amen.”
“Dear God, You cover me and protect me every day. As l leave this house, I pray that You will be my shield against any harm and danger out there. Bless me as l go out and come back again. Amen.”
Psalm 91 Personalized Prayer
In the Book of Psalms, Psalm 91 is one of the greatest ones to memorize along with other popular Psalms like Psalm 23 and Psalm 100. Praying the Psalm in your own words and according to your understanding of it also helps to remember it.
Here is a personalized prayer of Psalm 91:
“Dear heavenly Father, thank You that You are my refuge and strength in times of trouble.
Today and every day, l choose to stay in the shadow of the Almighty where l can build an intimate relationship with you My God.
I trust in You Lord for You remain faithful and loving. You’ve shown me mercy, favor, and
forgiveness even when l didn’t deserve it.
Cover me with Your feathers and protect me from the snares of the devil. As the enemy
comes to steal, kill and destroy me and my family we will find abundant life and
deliverance under Your wings O God.
Whether it’s at night or during the day, I will not be afraid of the terror and danger that
comes my way. For Your perfect love drives out my fears, Lord. Even those that
want to attack me and my family shall be dealt with by You my loving Father.
Your word says that You will protect me from plagues, diseases, and evil. You’ve sent
angels to keep watch over me. I’m humbled by Your kindness towards me and everything
You do to keep me safe.
There is power in the Mighty name of Jesus. I call upon that power when I’m faced with
danger in my life and the lives of those I love.
I love You God and choose to draw near to You and abide in You. Thank you for hearing me
and answering my prayers.
You promise me satisfaction, long life, and salvation when l choose to trust in You and
love you. I choose to hold on to Your truth and promises. Amen.”
You can also create your own personalised Psalm 91 by taking one verse at a time and changing it to become your prayer.
Psalm 91 Songs on YouTube
One of the ways to grow spiritually as a Christian is to use different ways to connect with God. Praise and worship is an effective way to grow an intimate relationship with God. There are some wonderful Psalm 91 songs on YouTube to help us remember this important psalm.
This amazing praise song by Renew Collective is vibrant and keeps to the main message of trusting in God as He is our refuge in times of trouble.
When the pandemic started, our pastor told us to pray Psalm 91 daily. So this song which is a Pandemic prayer by Chris and Mary Kuti resonates with me.
Other songs that are worthwhile to listen to on YouTube are:
Psalm 91 by Jonathan Ogden
Psalm 91 by Victory Boyd
Psalm 91 by New Creation Worship
Other Psalm 91 Resources
Wall art is a fantastic way to remind ourselves and our families of the powerful prayer of protection in Psalm 91. We can then see it everyday and pray it over our homes and families. It can be the whole chapter or parts of it.
These are some great Etsy wall art resources you can buy for your home.
As believers, we are encouraged when we see and read how others have studied and applied God’s word and seen results in their lives. Through what other Christians write, our faith grows as God’s word comes alive. These are great books and Bible Studies based on Psalm 91 and how it’s been applied by other believers.
Prayers of Protection Based on Psalm 91
In times of need, we may just require short and simple prayers to run to. God’s plans are not to harm us but to protect us and keep us safe and secure. These are 3 simple prayers of protection you can recite based on Psalm 91.
“Almighty God, thank you for providing a powerful shield of protection around me and my
family. You are my refuge, my strength, and my fortress. In your almighty wings, l find salvation, satisfaction, deliverance, and eternal life. Thank you for rescuing me in my times of trouble. Amen”
“Dear Heavenly Father, today l find myself afraid of the terrors of the night. I call upon the
mighty name of Jesus to cover me and protect me from harm. I run to You my Lord for you are my place of safety and deliverance. Send your angels to watch over me. Amen”
“O God, you have promised that even if ten thousand may fall at my right hand they will not
harm me because Your presence will be with me to deliver me. I pray that I would dwell in the shelter of the Most High today and every day. May l experience the peace that surpasses all understanding as l learn to trust in You and your promises. Amen.”
Conclusion
Psalm 91 is one of the most popular and powerful chapters in the Bible and it makes for a beautiful prayer.
It’s filled with great promises of God’s protection over us as His dearly loved children.
We may have an active enemy who wants to destroy us but we also have a real God who is alive and mighty. He is willing and able to deliver us from harm in the perilous times we live in.