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October 21, 2025 16 mins

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Psalm 91 offers a powerful spiritual refuge that has comforted believers for centuries with its vivid imagery of God's protective care. God positions Himself between us and harm's way. This isn't about avoiding difficulties altogether—it's about finding unshakable security within them.

"Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty." These aren't empty words but conditional promises extended to those who actively seek God's presence. Psalm 91 empowers us to activate a spiritual armor that surrounds us when we need it most.

As life's inevitable challenges come, consider memorizing Psalm 91. Learn it for yourself and recite it over your loved ones. Tuck these promises into your heart so when catastrophes hit—and they will—you can lean into them for strength. 

Ready to experience more scripture-based encouragement? Subscribe to this podcast for inspiration that will help your feet stay more steeped in the Word than in the world. Share this episode with someone who could use divine shelter today.

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Episode Transcript

Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Desireé Melfi Bozzo (00:06):
Ciao and welcome to Life Out Loud.
I am your host, desireeMelfi-Bozzo.
We are going to use this spaceto share experiences and help
you find lasting, unshakable,unwavering, unmessable with joy
and gratitude.
We're going to be throwingaround encouragement a little
bit like confetti, and givingyou support to live your very

(00:28):
best life.
Ciao, friends, welcome toepisode four of season four of
the Life Out Loud podcast.
I am the creator of thispodcast and your host, desiree
Melfi Boatso.
Wherever this finds youlistening from, if you would be
so kind as to pop it in thecomments and let me know where

(00:51):
you're at, what you think aboutthe show.
I absolutely love hearing fromyou and how these episodes are
impacting your lives.
I can definitely scour theanalytics and I do but hearing
from you makes it a little morepersonal.
So if you've hung around here,you know, this season we're
spending time in scripture andreally focusing on the prayers

(01:14):
that have shaped the world, andso the goal of this season is to
have our feet more steeped inthe word than in the world and
to radiate light to a lost world.
That's heavy, and you know what.
I'm totally here for it.
Last episode, we talked aboutthe armor of God found in

(01:35):
Ephesians 6.
I broke down what it is.
I broke down why it's important.
If you missed it, go back andtune in.
It's a really beautifulcomplement to this episode.
Today, we're going to dive into Psalm 91.
We're going to dive in heartfirst, so get ready.

(01:56):
This is another heavy one, butit is as proactive as it is
beautiful and it offers somereally practical faith that can
sometimes get lost in the world,right?
Sometimes that practical faith,it gets lost among the busyness

(02:18):
and the noise, and so I want tobring us back to that space.
I want to start by talking alittle bit about the book of
Psalms.
So Psalms is in the OldTestament and it's tucked
between the book of Job and thebook of Proverbs, and Psalms is
essentially a collection of likesongs or prayers.

(02:38):
It's from the 15th to about the6th century Words are hard
today the 15th to about the 6thcentury, before Jesus came on
the scene.
So the purpose of Psalms is toshow us how to relate to God in

(02:59):
any and every life circumstance.
A lot of times people saythere's no guidebook for life,
and I'm like have you readPsalms?
Have you read through Proverbs?
Because I'm pretty sure it'skind of there.
Psalms really shows us who Godis, and there isn't an author
mentioned for Psalm 91specifically, but many scholars

(03:19):
have attributed it to Moses.
So Psalm 91, it captures reallystunning imagery about
protection and divine shelter.
It's about God's care for us,no matter our life circumstances
, knowing the Psalm, praying thePsalm, reciting it over our

(03:40):
lives and our families and ourchildren and our jobs and our
friendships and ourcircumstances allows us to be
safe and secure, no matter thebattles that rage around us.
And friends, the battles, theyrage right.
Sometimes we can see them andsometimes we can't.
If you want to dive a littledeeper in the battles and you

(04:02):
didn't listen to the previousepisode, and if you want to dive
a little deeper in the battlesand you didn't listen to the
previous episode, go back andcheck it out.
On Ephesians 6 and the armor ofGod, if you never heard or read
Psalm 91, I'm going to read itto you.
Whoever dwells in the shelterof the Most High will rest in
the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord.
He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.

(04:26):
Surely he will save you fromthe fowler snare and from the
deadly pestilence.
So I'm going to pause here andoffer a side note.
The fowler snare are dangersthat threaten or ensnare our
souls.
They're often hidden.
They're often hidden.

(04:48):
They're often subtle.
They are definitely alwayscrafty schemes from the anime.
Okay, I'm going to pick back upin verse four.
He will cover you with hisfeathers and under his wings you
will find refuge.
I'm going to pause again.
I want you to think about theimagery that's used here.
So the imagery is of a mamabird protecting her nest that's

(05:10):
what comes to mind for meCovering her babies with her
feathers and letting them findrefuge under her wing.
I'm going to share a littlestory about this.
Every spring in our house, thesame mama bird comes back to lay
eggs at the top of the pillarby our front door.
It's the coziest little spot,it's far from the dangers of the

(05:33):
forest and it's hidden from theelements.
This past summer we had a reallywicked storm.
The tornado sirens went off inthe middle of the night and I
can tell you it was scary, tosay the least.
As we cozied ourselves safelyin the basement under pillows
and a down comforter, I thoughtabout that mama bird and her

(05:57):
babies, and my husband was likewhat?
I'm like?
I know she's out there, what dowe do?
And he's like we do nothing, wesit here and be safe.
But I couldn't leave it alone.
So I turned on the cameraoutside to see if I could see
her, and I could.
And I zoomed in and the rainwas coming in sideways.
The sirens were still blaringand as I zoomed in, I saw what

(06:20):
it meant to be covered with hisfeathers and finding refuge
under his wings.
My friends, that mama bird wasso bravely perched in her nest.
Her wings were out and she wasshielding her babies.
Her body was taking thepounding of the rain that
somehow went in sideways and upand was pelting her.

(06:41):
She covered them until the skyfell quiet and the winds ceased.
My friends, that is the mostvivid picture I have ever seen
of our God.
He covers us with his feathersand under his wings.
In this world is where we findour refuge.

(07:04):
Verse 4 concludes with hisfaithfulness will be our shield
and our rampart.
The shield that I'm thinking ofis like the shield in the last
episode about the armor of Godthat provides immediate
protection.
If you don't know what arampart was, it was a fortified
wall that offered a broad anddefensive barrier.

(07:25):
This verse is telling you aboutGod's unwavering commitment to
protecting his people.
The faithfulness of God will bea protective, defensive barrier
.
It reminds me of Isaiah 54, 17,.
No weapon form shall prosper.
So I'm going to pick back upPsalm 91, verse 5.

(07:46):
Right, you will not fear theterror of night, nor the arrow
that flies by day, nor thepestilence that stalks in the
darkness, nor the plague thatdestroys.
At midday.
A thousand may fall at yourside, ten thousand at your right
hand, but it will not come nearyou.
You will only observe with youreyes and see the punishment of

(08:07):
the wicked Friends.
This is referring to thespiritual war being waged all
around us.
We can't always see it, but, ohman, do we feel the effects.
No weapon formed will prosperbecause of God's care for you
and for me.
When we walk in obedience andwe armor up, he will protect us.

(08:29):
Doesn't mean bad things aren'tgoing to happen.
Don't twist my words.
Be careful with that.
I did not say bad things arenot going to happen.
I didn't say the horrible andthe horrific aren't going to
happen, but when they do.
He is how we get through.

(08:51):
Verse nine picks up.
If you say the Lord is myrefuge and you make the most
high your dwelling, no harm willovertake you, no disaster will
come near your tent, for he willcommand his angels concerning
you to guard you in all of yourways.
They will lift you up in yourhands so that you will not
strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion andthe cobra.
You will trample the great lionand the serpent.

(09:11):
These verses give nod toprotection and to empowerment.
Those who trust in the Lordwill be empowered to overcome
challenges and remain unharmed.
We have to pay attention toverse 9.
Here we have to declare thatthe Lord is our refuge.
The Hebrew for refuge is mekseand it means to seek shelter, to

(09:36):
take refuge or to trust in forprotection.
He is where we find our shelterin the storm, not in anyone or
anything else.
God and God alone.
When we declare that and wemake the most higher dwelling
meaning we live in the presenceof God and we find our identity

(09:58):
and our security in him, thenverse 10 to 13 come to life in a
powerful and tangible way forus.
I want to pick back up in verse14.
Because he loves me, says theLord, I will rescue him.
These are his promises.
I will protect him, for heacknowledges my name.
He will call on me and I willanswer him.
I will be with him in trouble.

(10:19):
I will deliver him and honorhim with long life.
I will satisfy him and show himmy salvation.
Psalm 91 ends with promises tous.
Because we love God.
They're not for everyone,they're conditional and they are
in direct correlation to ourlove for God.

(10:40):
If we love God, though, we canlean into these promises and
know he delivers on themwholeheartedly.
I want to say this again, kindof what I said earlier Psalm 91
does not mean bad and hardthings aren't going to happen.
It doesn't mean we won't findourselves in crappy

(11:03):
circumstances.
It doesn't mean horrible thingsaren't going to happen.
Psalm 91 is not a Pollyannapsalm that makes all things okay
.
It's a psalm that you recite inoffense.
It's your sword of the spirit.
It's your God-breathed wordfrom heaven that offers

(11:23):
protection from a God who wouldleave the 99 and go fight for
the one because he loves youthat much.
My dear listeners, I beseechyou learn Psalm 91.
Learn it for you, learn it foryour spouse, learn it for your
children, learn it for yourgrandchildren, learn it for your

(11:46):
life.
Recite it over and over andover, say it with conviction,
tuck it into your heart so whenthe catastrophes of life hit,
and they will keep it there, soyou can lean into it because
that is what's going to hold youup.
You can lean into it becausethat is what's going to hold you

(12:06):
up.
Psalm 91 is a powerful psalmthat offers protection when
things are great and also in theseasons when things are
terrible, and you probablydefinitely need it the most that

(12:27):
I look back over my own lifeand the lives of others, where
Psalm 91 offered a protectionthat was literally beyond human
comprehension or explanation,protections that are completely
and utterly unexplainable.
Except God, my love's, hisshelter is promised and proven

(12:48):
time and time again.
Psalm 91 is a reassurance thathe will protect us.
As we close out this episode, Iwant to pray over you,
no-transcript.

(13:09):
May the Lord make his faceshine on you and be gracious to
you.
May the Lord look with favor onyou and may he give you peace.
Father, god, cover these sweetlisteners under your wings, like
that mama bird covered thosebabies.
Be their refuge when the stormsof life come, because we know

(13:34):
they will.
God.
God help them.
Dwell in your presence everymoment.
Let them feel the safety andsecurity of your never failing
never ending love.
Amen, friends, I really hope youenjoyed this episode.

(13:54):
It was heavy, I know it was alittle bit much right, but this
kind of protection is so neededin this world.
As we sign off, I want to readPsalm 91 in its entirety.
So you have it, so you can tuckit into your heart.
So here it goes, psalm 91,starting at the top whoever

(14:16):
dwells in the shelter of theMost High will rest in the
shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord.
He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.
Surely he will save you fromthe foul or snare and from the
deadly pestilence.
He will cover you with hisfeathers and under his wings you
will find refuge.

(14:37):
His faithfulness will be yourshield and your rampart.
You will not fear the terror ofnight, nor the arrow that flies
by day, nor the pestilence thatstalks in the darkness, nor the
plague that destroys at midday.
A thousand may fall at yourside, ten thousand at your right
hand, but it will not come nearyou.
You will only observe with youreyes and see the punishment of

(14:59):
the wicked.
If you say the Lord is my refugeand you make the most high your
dwelling.
No harm will overtake you, nodisaster will come near your
tent, for he will command hisangels concerning you to guard
you in all of your ways.
They will lift you up in theirhands so that you will not
strike your foot against a stone.
You will tread on the lion andthe cobra.

(15:21):
You will trample the great lionand the serpent.
Because he loves me, says theLord, I will rescue him.
I will protect him, for heacknowledges my name.
He will call on me and I willanswer him.
I will be with him in trouble.
I will deliver him and honorhim with long life.
I will satisfy him and show himmy salvation, amen.

(15:44):
Tuck it into your heart,friends, and use it all the time
.
I hope you enjoyed this episode.
When you come back, we're goingto throw more encouragement and
more scripture around likeconfetti.
Careful, when you get too close, you're definitely going to get

(16:06):
some on you and my dear sweetlisteners, remember sweet
listeners, remember there isalways something to be grateful
for.
Ciao.
Thank you for joining me,desiree Melfi Bozzo, for this
episode of Life Out Loud.
I would love to hear from you.
Leave me a comment, tell mewhat topics you want to talk

(16:28):
about and how you take yourcoffee.
If you enjoyed what you heard,text a friend the link, share it
on social media.
Or if you're interested inbecoming a supporter, beep up
over to my webpage,lifeoutloudme, and sponsor a cup
of coffee that keeps thispodcast fueled.
Until next time, sweetlisteners.
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