Three times it is stated in Psalm 91 that God will deliver us. In each case, the way this deliverance comes is very different. It is important to know that His way of delivering us will vary. He will not always deliver us the way we think He should, but He will always be faithful to us and will never leave us on our own.
The second instance of God’s deliverance from Psalm 91 is found in verse 14: “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” (NKJV).
In this verse, the word translated “deliver” comes from a different Hebrew word than in verse 3. The Hebrew word in verse 14 means to lift and carry to safety. This meaning is distinct from the earlier word, for it refers to something that happens before we are entangled in trouble, not after we are already caught in a snare.
God will lift us up and carry us through difficult times to help us avoid the snares set in our path. He will create a safe harbor for us so we can remain in calm waters even though the storms of life rage.
When the Apostle Paul was a prisoner on a Roman ship bound for Rome to stand before Caesar, the ship was caught in a terrible storm. Ultimately, the ship was destroyed in the raging sea, and Paul was marooned on the island of Malta. Yet in the midst of the stormy tumult, God spoke words of hope and protection to Paul, which the apostle then declared to all those on board:
“And now I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night an angel of the God to whom I belong and whom I serve, saying, ‘Do not be afraid, Paul; you must be brought before Caesar; and indeed God has granted you all those who sail with you.’ Therefore take heart, men, for I believe God that it will be just as it was told me. However, we must run aground on a certain island” (Acts 27:22-26 NKJV).
This may not sound as if Paul avoided the trouble, but in reality, it is a clear description of God providing safety and calm in the midst of trouble, even life-threatening trouble.
In this instance, God revealed to Paul that there was trouble ahead (v. 10). Paul then told those in charge of the ship what God had revealed to him, but they would not listen to a prisoner. Instead, they sailed right into the trouble and paid the price, losing all their cargo.
Yet because of Paul’s faith, none of those on the doomed ship would lose their lives. In the belly of that prison ship, chained to the hull, Paul had a visitation from an angel of the Lord. This angel came in answer to Paul’s prayer for those who held him in captivity. God granted Paul what he had asked for: the lives of those on board.
Paul remained safe in the storm because he was looking to God, calling on Him rather than focusing on the storm and sea. That storm came to kill the man of God. But God and Paul had other plans, and no storm or raging sea would stop them.
