Background to Psalms 91

"Physical refuge relieves the frightened. Spiritual refuge relieves the burdened. Hurting people need a refuge from their distress." We find comfort and must seek the refuge of God.
taken from the sermon Under His Wings by Bill Hybels

In 2014, in a country in South Asia where we have been exploring how we might start an IFES movement, our contacts are killed. Persecution is also severe in Pakistan and other countries in the region, and throughout many parts of the world.

What can we say? We grieve, we mourn with our suffering brothers and sisters. At this regional gathering in Thailand we take this time to step back and listen to God’s word.

And we find in Psalm 91 a great comfort. We are not exempt from troubles. But we have God with us in our troubles. And by his Spirit we can stay strong – we can pray, we can daily take up our cross, we can go on in hope that we are indeed living in the shadow of the Almighty.

And this week we receive a sign of that hope. In a country in the Middle East, the husband of one of the IFES team there, who was arrested on his way to a conference over two weeks ago, has been released.

May we rejoice as we live in that shadow, that ‘God with us’ has left us his Spirit to sustain, comfort and guide. And let us pray for students, staff and all those who are lamenting in any way, that they too may find shelter. Taken from http://ifesworld.org/en/blog/2014/10/learning-lament

Satan tempts Jesus using Psalm 91 in Matt 4:1-11 and Luke 4. 
Psalms 91:11 For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways.
Psalms 91:12 They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.

Satan deleted, "to keep thee in all thy ways" and added, "at any time" "That’s like saying, “God, I know you can protect me, so I am going to walk out into a busy highway and You must keep me safe”. We are not to do this, because we are not in authority over God. He is in authority over us. We do not force God to serve us. Certainly God is able to rescue His children from incredible danger, however, to act foolishly and then expect God to deliver you is to put God to the test" by Jodi Hooper. Jesus puts scripture in the right context and tells him not to "tempt God." See Psalm 78:17-22, for God’s anger when the Israelites tested Him in the desert.