The Bible tells us in many varied ways that “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble” (Psalms 46:1). One place we find assurances of protection and safety under God’s care is in the ninety-first Psalm. Throughout the ages, countless people have turned to this psalm for help.
In the 1970s, I had a healing when I turned to this psalm. One afternoon, I was packing my suitcase for a flight from Washington, DC, to London in order to attend my yearly Christian Science students’ association meeting there. At the time, Great Britain was facing terrorist threats from the Irish Republican Army (IRA). I heard on the radio news that the IRA had announced a bombing campaign at United Kingdom airports for the day that the queen was to visit Ireland, which happened to be the exact day of my arrival in London. I was petrified and thought there was no way I could make the trip.
I turned to the ninety-first Psalm and read it over and over again. I was so scared I couldn’t really think. All I could do was read the psalm. These verses were particularly comforting: “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.… Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day” (verses 1, 2, 5).
