Hello my friends,
This is Mark Gladman,
Also known as Brother Frederick James,
Your friendly neighbourhood monkey and dogs.
Welcome as we continue through this series reflecting on the signs of refuge.
As we begin,
I just invite you to take a moment to settle into the stillness.
Allow your body to relax.
Notice your breathing.
Notice the places where you might be holding tension.
And then as you notice those just allow them to soften.
And as you settle,
Just open your ears,
Your mind and your heart.
To the words of the spirit that might want to speak to you in this moment.
Become aware of the presence of God.
Not the god of an idea or concept,
But a living presence,
The one who's here.
The one who sustains every breath.
The one on whom we live and move and have our being.
Take a nice slow deep breath in.
And out.
And rest.
Today as we continue our journey in the Psalms of Refuge,
We're going to focus on Psalm 91.
For thousands of years,
People have turned.
To this psalm during times of fear and uncertainty.
Through illness,
Conflict.
And danger.
It's the psalm that forms the hub.
To Compline or the very last prayer of the day.
Often prayed as a prayer of sanctuary and safety through the night.
Its images are powerful,
Shelter.
Refuge Protection.
Wings spread wide.
And under all these images,
There's a beautiful,
Deep invitation.
That invites us to trust in the presence of God.
So let's listen to the words of this Psalm.
Psalm 91.
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High.
Will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord,
My refuge and my fortress.
My God.
In whom I trust.
For he will deliver you from the snare of the hunter.
And from the deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with his feathers.
And under his wings.
You will find refuge.
His fightfulness is a shield.
And defense.
You will not fear the terror of the night.
Nor the arrow that flies by day.
Or the pestilence that stalks in darkness.
Or the destruction that wastes at noonday.
Because you have made the Lord your refuge.
The most high your dwelling place.
No evil shall befall you.
No scourge come near your tent.
For he will command his angels concerning you to guide you in all your ways.
I will bear you up in their hands.
So that you will not dash your foot against the stone.
Those who love me I will deliver.
I will protect those who know my name.
When they call to me?
I will answer them.
I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue them and honour them.
With long life I will satisfy them and show them my salvation.
The psalm begins with a beautiful phrase,
Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
Not as that word dwells.
I'm not talking about visiting.
Or occasionally stopping by.
Dwelling.
DIVINE!
Remaining.
And yes,
There's my word for the year again.
Abiding.
The psalm begins with a picture of a life lived in God.
A life that has learned to make its home in the divine presence.
Many of us spend our lives searching for refuge.
We looked for security in achievement,
In certainty,
In approval.
In having enough answers?
And yet none of these can ultimately provide the shelter we seek.
And Psalm 91 offers another possibility.
What if our deepest refuge?
Isn't found in controlling life.
But rather,
What if it's found in learning to rest?
In God.
Take a slow breath and as you breathe in,
Hear these words,
The Lord is my refuge.
And as you breathe out,
My God in whom I trust.
The Lord is my refuge.
My God.
In whom I trust.
And then Psalm 91 offers us one of the most beautiful and tender images in all of scripture.
He will cover you with his feathers and under his wings you will find refuge.
It's a surprising image in many ways because.
.
.
God's not described as a warrior here or a king.
Or a judge.
But as a mother bird.
Sheltering her young.
Gathering them close.
Protecting them beneath her wings,
Offering warmth.
Safety.
And belonging.
Maybe for a moment you can simply imagine yourself being held in this way.
Not having to earn love.
Or prove yourself.
But to be simply.
Sheltered.
SAFE.
And then the psalm continues.
You will not fear the terror of the night or the arrow that flies by day.
The psalmist names many dangers,
Night terrors,
Disease,
Violence,
Threats,
Uncertainty.
All of this is important.
The psalm isn't pretending.
That these things don't exist.
The world's always contained uncertainty.
Human beings have always known fear,
But Psalm 91 doesn't deny the reality.
It speaks about where we place our trust within.
Reality.
Now there's a way of reading the psalm that assumes faith should remove all difficulties,
But I'd like you to see that the psalm itself says,
I will be with them in.
.
.
Trouble.
Not necessarily removed from trouble,
But with them in trouble.
Trouble.
The promise is presence.
The promise is companionship,
A refuge that remains.
Even in difficult times.
Just take a moment to notice any fear that you might be carrying today.
And as you acknowledge it,
Just place it gently within the shelter of God's presence.
And then the psalm says,
Because you have made the Lord your refuge,
The Most High your dwelling place.
Notice again this language of dwelling,
The invitation isn't just to believe something about God,
But to live in God,
To make our home there.
Contemplative Christian spirituality has always pointed towards this truth,
The Kingdom of God isn't somewhere far away.
God isn't elsewhere,
The divine presence is available here,
Now,
In this breath.
In this moment.
What would it mean?
To dwell there.
To rest there,
To return there again.
And again.
Not as an escape from life,
But as the deepest place from which life is truly lived.
And then near the end of the psalm,
God speaks directly.
When they call to me,
I will answer them.
I will be with them in trouble.
And maybe these are words someone needs to hear today.
That not every difficulty will disappear,
That not every question is going to be answered,
But that you're not alone.
God is with you in the uncertainty,
The grief,
The waiting,
The joy,
The doubt.
The ordinary moments.
In all of it.
And so for the next few moments,
Just rest beneath that image of shelter,
A refuge that's always available.
A presence that never leaves.
As you breathe in,
Just silently say,
I dwell in your presence.
And as you breathe out.
I rest in your love.
Again breathing in,
I dwell in your presence.
And breathing out,
I rest in your love.
I dwell in your presence.
I rest in your love.
And as you let those words continue.
May they become less something you say and more something that you receive.
I dwell in your presence.
I rest in your love.
And as we prepare to finish,
Just hear once more the heart of the psalm.
He will cover you with His feathers.
And under his wings you will find refuge.
Just allow that image to settle deep within you today.
You don't have to carry everything.
You don't have to protect yourself from every uncertainty.
You're invited to rest.
You're invited to trust.
You're invited to dwell in.
Let's pray.
Loving God,
You are our refuge and our shelter.
When fear rises within us,
Gather us beneath your wings.
When we feel exposed and vulnerable,
Remind us that we're held.
Teach us to make our home in your presence.
Teach us to rest in your love.
Help us to trust that wherever life leads,
You remain with us.
May we dwell in you and discover the peace that nothing can.
Can take away.
Thanks so much for spending this time in prayer and reflection.
May you move through this day with a deeper sense of being held.
And may the protection of Grace,
Peace and Love be with you and go with you today and always.
And remember friend,
Under God's wings,
You will find refuge.
Until next time.
Go in peace.
Bye for now.
