Under His Wings

Psalm 91:1-16

Psalm 91 is a psalm of trust with no named author: the psalmist describes life in the shelter of the Most High, and in the last three verses God Himself promises to answer and be with the one who loves Him.

Lord Most High, I dwell in Your shelter and rest in Your shadow. You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust. Cover me and my family with Your feathers, and hide us under Your wings. In the terror of the night I will not fear, for Your faithfulness is our shield. Command Your angels to guard us in all our ways. When I call to You, answer me, and be with me in trouble. Amen.

The Scripture

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the LORD, “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Surely He will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly plague. He will cover you with His feathers; under His wings you will find refuge; His faithfulness is a shield and rampart. You will not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day, nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the calamity that destroys at noon. Though a thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand, no harm will come near you. You will only see it with your eyes and witness the punishment of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your dwelling—my refuge, the Most High— no evil will befall you, no plague will approach your tent. For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and cobra; you will trample the young lion and serpent. “Because he loves Me, I will deliver him; because he knows My name, I will protect him. When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him and honor him. With long life I will satisfy him and show him My salvation.””

— Psalm 91:1-16

Prayer points from Psalm 91:1-16

Thank God that you can dwell in His shelter and rest in His shadow (v. 1).

Tell Him, in your own words, that He is your refuge and your fortress (v. 2).

Name each person in your family and ask God to cover them under His wings (v. 4).

Bring Him the fears that come at night, and ask His faithfulness to be your shield (vv. 4–6).

Ask Him to command His angels to guard you and those you love in all your ways (v. 11).

Call on Him, and thank Him for His promise to answer and be with you in trouble (v. 15).

About this verse

Psalm 91 has no heading, so its writer is simply the psalmist. It speaks in three voices. It opens with the one who dwells in the shelter of the Most High; then the psalmist makes it personal: “You are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.” Most of the psalm then speaks to “you” in pictures of shelter: feathers and wings, a shield and rampart, angels who guard. In the last three verses God Himself answers: “When he calls out to Me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble.” For centuries the church has prayed this psalm at night, in the last prayer of the day. When the devil tempted Jesus, he quoted verses 11–12 to dare Him to throw Himself down from the temple, and Jesus refused to put God to the test (Matthew 4:5–7): the psalm is a call to trust God, not to test Him. This prayer is for anyone who wants to pray Psalm 91 over themselves and their family, at night or in any frightening season.

Under His Wings

The Scripture

Prayer points from Psalm 91:1-16

About this verse

When to pray this prayer

More prayers for protection

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