A Prayer to Trust God’s Promises
By Chelsey DeMatteis
“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” - Psalm 91:14
If you were sitting across the table from me today and asked if I’d open to Psalm 91, you’d see the word “peace” written above the text. Years ago, I was in the midst of an intense season of spiritual battle. Nighttime was especially hard for me, even harder on the nights my husband was traveling for work. But one particular night I realized I had to hand my battle over to the Lord.
I reached out to my Bible study teacher and asked her if there was a place in Scripture she’d recommend I should go. She pointed my heart to Psalm 91. She told me to not only read it, but to pray it, and study the promises that God had woven all throughout it.
This portion of God’s Word became a safe haven for my heart, and it still is. What I love (and what you’ll read if you study) is that this Psalm has “I will” or “he will” promises from the Lord all throughout. Here are just a few:
“For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways…”
“He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.”
“He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;”
It’s laced with the promises we find in the Lord when we make Him our dwelling place, our refuge, and as we trust Him to be our protector. It’s places like this in scripture where the Lord has spelled out for us what we mean to Him and all that He desires for us as a good Father, the perfect Father.
Though hardships, attacks, and pain happen to us in this life, we see the confirmation here through Psalm 91 that when we “hold fast to the Lord in love, He will deliver us; He will protect us because we know His name. When we call to Him, He will answer us, He will be with us in trouble, He will rescue us, satisfy us, and show us His salvation.” Isn’t that amazing? He will show us His salvation — we get to see His salvation poured out by His grace and mercy over our lives, and the eternal security that awaits us.
What a comfort this is. Psalm 91 is not the only place we see these types of promises, but all throughout His word He continues to concrete His desires and promises to our heart. He reveals to us what peace, joy, goodness, and sanctification look like through a life tethered to Him. He teaches us what it means to trust in Him. He teaches us that as we as believers don’t need to live in fear of what lies ahead or be overcome when the enemy attacks, because we get to take refuge in our all-knowing, always pursuing Heavenly Father.
Let's pray:
Lord, as waves of fear come, I pray you would stir up in me a heart that desires to run to you. I pray for an unwavering trust in your goodness and the praise that you are my refuge. Thank you for your unfailing love, grace, and mercy over my life.
I pray the promises of Psalm 91 over my life. Right now, that no harm would overtake me, that no disaster would come near me. I pray that your angels would guard me in all my ways. I pray that because you love me, you would rescue me, protect me, and be with me in my troubles… even if those troubles are all in my imagination. Calm my fears and bring your peace to my heart.
In Jesus’ name,
Amen.
Photo credit: ©SalemDesign
Chelsey is the voice behind the Living with Less Podcast and author of the 52-week devotional More of Him, Less of Me: Living a Christ-centered Life in a Me-centered World. She writes devotions for Lifeway Women's Journey Magazine, Crosswalk.com, and iBelieve.com. She also writes Bible reading plans for the YouVersion Bible App. Chelsey lives in Ohio with her husband and two children. You can connect with her on Instagram @chelseydematteis and at her website ChelseyDeMatteis.com.
Editor's Note: We're proud to announce we've just launched a new nighttime companion to Your Daily Prayer: the Your Nightly Prayer devotional. You'll soon be able to subscribe to receive Your Nightly Prayer via email, or as a podcast, but for now you can find it on the website at crosswalk.com/devotionals/your-nightly-prayer. We hope it's a relaxing and soothing way to wind down your day with rich meditations on who God is.
Related Resource: Jesus Calling - Stories of Faith
Kerry Washington. Andrea Bocelli. Reba McEntire. Mark Wahlberg. Tony Dungy. Matthew McConaughey, What do all of these people have in common? They are all people of faith who have leaned on God in both the good and challenging times—and they’ve shown up to tell their story of faith on The Jesus Calling Podcast. The Jesus Calling Podcast provides a place for people from all walks of life to share the heartaches, joys, and divine moments that keep them going.
Inspired by Sarah Young's classic devotional book, the Jesus Calling podcast has brought encouragement and peace to millions. New episodes drop every Thursday! Listen today on LifeAudio.com or wherever you find your podcasts.
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Originally published Tuesday, 26 July 2022.
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