Young People's Group

“Because He Has Set His Love on Me”

by Mitchell Tan
January 10, 2016

THE PSALMIST’S REFLECTIONS ON THE LORD AS HIS REFUGE

It is good discipline for us to take time to reflect on the Lord. This was something that the Psalmist did in the text of Psalm 91. He made the effort to meditate on God, to dwell with Him and to declare about Him being his refuge. Verse 1 to verse 13 of Psalm 91 denote the reflections of the Psalmist.

“He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”
Psalm 91:1

“Because you have made the Lord, who is my refuge,
Even the Most High, your dwelling place,
No evil shall befall you”
Psalm 91:9

The Psalmist wrote about dwelling in the secret place of the Most High. The secret place is the hiding place and refuge that he had found in the Lord. When he dwelt with God, he was able to abide under the shadow of the Almighty. The idea of “shadow” is the place of favour from the Lord. The Psalmist also expressed how when a person has made the Lord God his dwelling place, there would be His special protection on him. There would be angels who would keep him in all his ways. He would be able to tread upon the cobra and on the young lion. Would God really help us tread on the young lion and the cobra? It is important for us to understand that these are the personal reflections of the Psalmist. They have to be verified and established as truth. They may not reflect fully the Lord’s thoughts and ways.

THE LORD’S RESPONSE TO THE PSALMIST’S REFLECTIONS

“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.”
Psalm 91:14

Verse 14 to verse 16 denote the actual words of the Lord. These are the words that came from the Lord God Himself. These words were said in response to the reflections of the Psalmist. While the Psalmist may have reflected on the Lord, they do not represent His actual words. There are two things that the Lord wanted the Psalmist to focus on.

1. LOVING THE LORD IN A TOTAL MANNER

God is more concerned about us setting our love on Him. This is of course a reminder of what He had already commanded in the text of Deuteronomy 6:5. We are to love the Lord your God with all our heart, with all our soul and with all our strength. This is what setting our love on the Lord is about. It is to love Him fully with everything that is within us. There should not be any compromise to this. Let’s seek to set our love on the Lord. Yes, we can come up with many reflections. But the key thing is still loving the Lord. Do we love the Lord in total manner? I am sure many of us don’t. Let’s seek to set our heart on loving the Lord fully.

2. HAVING A DEEP KNOWLEDGE OF THE LORD AND HIS NAME

There should also be a greater commitment to know the Lord and His name. His name represents all that God is. The Psalmist only reflected on God as the Most High God. He is seen as the Almighty. But there is so much more that God’s name represents. Let’s seek to know Him and His name in a deeper way. He will bless us as He deems best, according to His will. Young people, let’s focus on the Lord’s actual words rather than just our own reflections.

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