Wednesday in the Word

Psalm 91 puts the child of God in the secret place of the Most High, under the shadow, under the protection, of the Almighty. God wants to be a shield all around, but God also wants to be in His people and flow through His people. The river of life does not just point to a place called eternal life someday. The river is zoe, the life force of God, the creative life that comes from His throne and heals broken hearts, broken homes, broken cities, and broken situations.

Jesus shows that river flowing in the earth. The woman with the issue of blood touched the hem of His garment, and power flowed out of Him before He even knew who touched Him. That same river, the same life of God, has been deposited in believers by the Holy Spirit. Christ in His people and His people in Christ is the mystery, the secret place, the protection around them and the flow within them.

Psalm 91 turns on the words, “I will say of the Lord.” The blessing is not only read, it is received when the Word becomes confession. David makes up his mind to say, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in Him will I trust.” The devil wants words because words can open life to fear, weakness, and defeat. God wants words because His blessing is received and released through faith-filled confession.

Psalm 91 refuses the idea that the people of God are helpless or vulnerable. Terror by night, arrows by day, pestilence in darkness, and destruction at noonday are real, but they are not lord. Jesus was not vulnerable when men tried to stone Him, throw Him off a cliff, or crucify Him. Even at the cross, He could have called angels, but He laid Himself down so God could become refuge for those covered by His blood.

The blood of Jesus is the key to losing vulnerability. God’s promises are not resting on good behavior, perfect attitudes, or personal goodness. Genesis shows what wickedness deserves in the flood, but Calvary shows what mercy gives through the Lamb. Because Jesus took the punishment for the wickedness of the world, the goodness of God can be confessed, received, and multiplied in the earth.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. The kingdom keeps moving forward The kingdom of God does not stop with one generation on the stage. Psalm 91’s protection and God’s presence are meant to be passed like wisdom, word, and vision into the children coming behind. The children are not just having a good time; God has a divine plan for their future, and His presence is being made real to them early. [29:40]
• 2. God’s life flows through people The river of God is not treated as a distant reward, but as zoe, the living force that comes from the throne. Jesus carried that river in His body, and power flowed when broken need touched Him. Christ now places that same life in believers so that healing can move into broken places through them. [33:31]
• 3. Confession receives the refuge Psalm 91 does not stop at reading about shelter; it says, “I will say of the Lord.” The mouth becomes the place where the soul agrees with God instead of fear. Refuge is received as the Word is confessed personally, not as empty repetition, but as trust in the blood that makes the promise legitimate. [38:41]
• 4. The blood removes vulnerability God’s protection is not earned by having a perfect day, a perfect attitude, or a perfect record. The Lamb of God was perfect so that the blessings of God could come on imperfect people. Leaning on the blood means refusing to let failure have the final word over whether God can be refuge and fortress. [43:01]
• 5. Calvary answers what wickedness deserves Genesis shows that multiplied humanity multiplies wickedness, and the flood shows what that wickedness deserves. Calvary shows something greater: Jesus took the punishment so mercy could be given instead of destruction. God’s goodness is not denial of evil; it is the stronger answer that overcomes evil through sacrifice.
  
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Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [28:11] - Praying Over Vacation Bible School
• [29:40] - Passing the Kingdom to Children
• [30:09] - Reading Psalm 91
• [33:09] - God as Shield and River
• [33:31] - Zoe Life From the Throne
• [34:33] - Power Flowing Through Jesus
• [35:53] - Dwelling in the Secret Place
• [36:23] - Christ in You, You in Him
• [38:41] - “I Will Say of the Lord”
• [39:53] - Refusing Vulnerability and Fear
• [42:13] - Hiding Out in God
• [43:01] - Promises Based on the Blood
• [46:08] - Wickedness, the Flood, and Mercy
• [47:56] - Calvary Gives What Was Not Deserved

Bible Reading

Psalm 91
“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, 'My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.' For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness is a shield and buckler. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in darkness, nor the destruction that wastes at noonday. A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place— the Most High, who is my refuge— no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. 'Because he holds fast to me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will rescue him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him my salvation.'” [30:09]

John 7:38
“Whoever believes in me, as the Scripture has said, 'Out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.'”

Mark 5:25-34
“And there was a woman who had had a discharge of blood for twelve years, and who had suffered much under many physicians, and had spent all that she had, and was no better but rather grew worse. She had heard the reports about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment. For she said, 'If I touch even his garments, I will be made well.' And immediately the flow of blood dried up, and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease. And Jesus, perceiving in himself that power had gone out from him, immediately turned about in the crowd and said, 'Who touched my garments?' And his disciples said to him, 'You see the crowd pressing around you, and yet you say, 'Who touched me?'' And he looked around to see who had done it. But the woman, knowing what had happened to her, came in fear and trembling and fell down before him and told him the whole truth. And he said to her, 'Daughter, your faith has made you well; go in peace, and be healed of your disease.'”

Genesis 6:5-7
“The LORD saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And the LORD regretted that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him to his heart. So the LORD said, 'I will blot out man whom I have created from the face of the land, man and animals and creeping things and birds of the heavens, for I regret that I have made them.'”

Observation questions

1. In Psalm 91, what pictures are used to describe God’s protection, and what kinds of dangers are named in the passage? [30:47]
2. In Psalm 91:2, what does the verse say a person does with their mouth, and what exact words are spoken about the Lord? [38:41]
3. In the story of the woman with the issue of blood, what happened when she touched Jesus, and how did Jesus respond when power went out from Him? [34:35]
4. In Genesis 6:5-7, what does the passage say about the condition of human wickedness, and how did God respond to what He saw? [46:08]

Interpretation questions

1. Psalm 91 says, “I will say of the Lord.” Why does spoken confession seem to matter so much in receiving God as refuge and fortress, instead of only knowing the words mentally? [45:14]
2. John 7:38 speaks about rivers of living water flowing out of the believer. How does that shape the way a Christian should think about carrying God’s life into broken people, homes, and situations? [38:14]
3. Jesus allowed Himself to be sacrificed even though He was not powerless. How does that help explain why believers can trust that God’s protection rests on the blood of Jesus rather than on personal performance? [43:35]
4. Genesis shows what wickedness deserves, while Calvary shows mercy given through Jesus. How do those two scenes help make sense of both the seriousness of sin and the greatness of God’s goodness? [47:44]

Application questions

1. What words have been coming out most often lately—fearful words, tired words, defeated words, or faith-filled words? What would it look like this week to intentionally say, “He is my refuge and my fortress”? [39:05]
2. Many people quietly feel vulnerable—to sickness, to bad news, to family trouble, or to what may happen next. Where has vulnerability been showing up in real life lately, and how could hiding in God begin to change that? [41:32]
3. God’s promises rest on the blood of Jesus, not on having a perfect day. Is there a place where failure, guilt, or a bad attitude has made it hard to come boldly to God? What would leaning on the blood look like there? [42:47]
4. Rivers of living water are meant to flow through believers into broken places. Who in life right now seems especially broken, drained, or wounded, and how might God’s life reach them through simple obedience, prayer, or encouragement from you? [34:21]
5. The secret place is not only God around His people but Christ in His people and His people in Him. When during the day is it easiest to forget that reality? What could help build a stronger awareness of His presence within? [36:33]
6. The kingdom moves forward from generation to generation. What are some practical ways faith, prayer, and the Word can be passed to children or younger believers in everyday life? [29:40]
7. Wickedness multiplies in the earth, but God’s goodness and mercy are meant to be multiplied too. In what conversation or relationship this week could mercy be shared instead of fear, anger, or hopelessness? [48:46]