“Lord, what is going on? Is there any safe place?” This was the cry of my heart as I observed the falling away of people who had been very influential in my life. My heart was broken and confused, and my spirit was wrestling within me.
God led me to Psalm 91, an extraordinary psalm that gives us incredible insight. “He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty” (91:1). The word abide in the Hebrew means to claim — claim your possession, take up residence, defend in order to regain property. It literally says, “This is mine. This is my place. This is where I’m going to stay — my dwelling place.” The believer cries, “The secret place is my place! Underneath a shadow is my safe place. Close to Him is the place where I’m safe.”
Verse 13 says, “You shall tread upon the lion and the viper, the young lion and the dragon you shall trample underfoot.” This is poetic language, prophetic and preventive — symbolic language that brings spiritual light. In this case, the viper represents the sudden trap that attacks God’s promises in our lives. The lion is a satanic trap that attacks God’s plans and purposes. The young lion is the seemingly small trap that attacks the purity of God in our lives. And the dragon is the silent trap that attacks the peace of God in our lives.
But the Word says you shall tread upon all of them! You shall tread upon the viper, that sudden trap you didn’t see coming. You’re walking with God and something hits you that takes your breath away. Perhaps your boss calls you in and tells you he has to let you go. You think of your family and the thought just grabs you in the throat.
At such a moment, the enemy seems to have a capacity to erase God’s promises — if we let him. But God tells us how to overcome: “Because he has set his love upon Me, therefore I will deliver him; I will set him on high, because he has known My name. He shall call upon Me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him, and show him My salvation” (91:14-16).
Don’t let Satan steal your promises! God’s Word is sure and steadfast and he is faithful to you, his beloved child.
Claude Houde is the lead pastor of Eglise Nouvelle Vie (New Life Church) in Montreal, Canada. Under his leadership New Life Church has grown from a handful of people to more than 3500 in a part of Canada with few successful Protestant churches.