By Linda Evans Shepherd
I was walking out of a medical building when a gust of wind swept down from the Colorado mountains and hit me at ninety miles an hour.
The sudden blast created a vortex in the corner of the building and lifted me clean off my feet. I knew I was no Mary Poppins, and it certainly wasn’t the rapture, because the next thing this swirling wind tried to do was throw me face first into the concrete.
I suddenly had a flash of what I would look like with a busted nose and no teeth. But then I heard the quiet voice of the Lord say to my spirit,
“This is not a time to be passive.”
A Piece of Bubblegum and a Big Lesson
At that moment, I thrust my foot out and landed it in a big wad of bubblegum.
Not only did I stop the fall— you could say I stuck the landing. That experience taught me something vital: in a world where so many scary and difficult things are happening, we no longer have the option to be passive.
We need to be proactive by taking a step of prayer and faith.
The Promise of Psalm 91
We can take our guidance from Psalm 91, often attributed to Moses, which talks about living in the safe place of the Most High, hiding in the shadow of the All-powerful—the Lord.
I love the list the psalmist created of what the Lord can do to protect us: rescue us from traps and deadly sickness, hide us in the safety of his wings, and protect us from the troubles of night or the arrows of the day.
Many people pray this passage and find unusual protection, like my friend during the LA fires.
She told me, “I prayed Psalm 91 over my home for a year.” And though her entire neighborhood burned down, her house was left standing, untouched by the flames.
A Prayer of Protection for You
I encourage you to read this passage yourself but let me take this opportunity to paraphrase some of the verses into a prayer of protection that we can pray together now.
Dear Lord,
Thank you for being my safe place. I hide in your shadow and under your wings. You rescue me from traps and deadly illness. You give me fearlessness and protection against the evils of the night, the attacks of the day, and the troubles at noon. Though many will fall, I will stand because I have made you my safe place, Lord. Nothing will hurt me; trouble will not knock on the door to my home. You even call your angels to care for me and keep me on the path with you. The lion and the snake are crushed under my feet because of your power and might. Because you love me, you rescue me from trouble so I can dwell in you. I call upon you and you answer me because you are with me in every trouble. You are my protector, giving me long life through your saving power.
Thank you! In Jesus’ name, Amen.
LINDA EVANS SHEPHERD is publisher of Leading Hearts magazine. She is also a best-selling author, an in-demand speaker, YouTuber and president of Right to the Heart ministries.
