Hello, friend. Welcome back to Authorized Sword Ministries.

We're so glad you're here again.

Where We've Been

In Lesson One, we learned that courage comes from knowing God is with us. In Lesson Two, we looked at the whole armour of God for the battles we can't see.

Today is Lesson Three. It's called "Under His Wings." We're going to look at God's care and presence when you're in hard and dangerous places.

Our Key Verses

Here are our key verses. Psalm 91:1-2.

"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." — Psalm 91:1-2 (KJV)

Many in uniform have carried this psalm with them over the years. It's a beautiful picture of the safety of being close to God.

"The secret place" means living near to Him, day by day. And notice the words "refuge" and "fortress." A refuge is a place you run to. A fortress is a place that holds. God Himself is both.

Under His Wings

Look at this tender picture a little later in the psalm:

"He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler." — Psalm 91:4 (KJV)

A mother bird spreads her wings over her chicks when danger comes near. That's how God watches over His own. And a "buckler" is another kind of shield. His truth is your protection.

Reading Psalm 91 Rightly

Now we need to be honest and careful here, because this psalm is sometimes misused.

Psalm 91 is a true and precious promise of God's care. But it doesn't promise that a believer will never be hurt or never die. Faithful Christians have been wounded. Faithful Christians have given their lives in service. That doesn't mean God failed them, or that they didn't have enough faith.

In fact, the devil once tried to twist this very psalm. Psalm 91 says, "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways." When Satan tempted Jesus in the wilderness, he quoted that promise and dared Jesus to throw Himself down from the temple:

"And saith unto him, If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God." — Matthew 4:6-7 (KJV)

Jesus refused to treat God's promise like a good-luck charm. We shouldn't either. Psalm 91 tells us to trust God and rest in His care. It doesn't tell us to take foolish risks or to think we're bulletproof.

So what can we be sure of? We can be sure that God sees us, that He cares, and that He is with us. And Jesus said of His sheep, "neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand."

Nothing Can Separate You

Here's a promise that holds in every situation, even the worst:

"For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord." — Romans 8:38-39 (KJV)

Neither death, nor life. That covers everything. If you belong to Jesus Christ, your soul is safe in His hands, no matter what happens to your body. Paul could even say:

"For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain." — Philippians 1:21 (KJV)

That's the deepest kind of security there is.

Never Too Far for God

When you're deployed or stationed far away, it can feel like you're at the ends of the earth. But David wrote:

"If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me." — Psalm 139:9-10 (KJV)

The uttermost parts of the sea. The desert. The mountains. A ship in the middle of the ocean. Even there, God's hand is on you.

Peace for the Night Watch

Danger and stress can steal your sleep and your peace. Jesus offers a peace this world can't give:

"Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." — John 14:27 (KJV)

And David, who knew danger well, wrote this before he slept:

"I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, LORD, only makest me dwell in safety." — Psalm 4:8 (KJV)

When you lie down tonight, wherever you are, you can give your worries to God and rest.

Is He Your Refuge?

Friend, Psalm 91 says, "I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge." Have you said that? The safest place any person can be is in Jesus Christ. He died for our sins and rose again. If you've never trusted Him, do it today. Turn from your sin and run to Him. He will be your refuge and your fortress, in this life and forever.

Next Time

In Lesson Four, the last lesson in this course, we'll meet two soldiers in the Bible whose faith stood out: a centurion who amazed Jesus, and a centurion named Cornelius. We'll look at serving with honor, and keeping your faith when you're far from home.

"For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say to this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it." — Matthew 8:9 (KJV)

A Prayer

Before we go, let's pray together.

Heavenly Father,

Thank You for this friend who is listening right now, and for their service.

Be their refuge and their fortress. Cover them with Your feathers, and let them trust under Your wings.

Wherever they are, let Your hand lead them and Your right hand hold them. Give them Your peace, and let them lie down and sleep.

And whatever comes, remind them that nothing can separate them from Your love in Christ Jesus.

In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

Thank you for spending this time with us.

We'll see you in Lesson Four.

From all of us at Authorized Sword Ministries, God bless you.