Psalms 91:5-8: Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday. Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you. Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.
Recently, our area has experienced some violent storms. Even today as I am writing this, we’re expecting more thunderstorms. Earlier, we were driving out of our subdivision, and I noticed the wind had become so forceful that the trees were swaying back and forth. It was at that moment the Lord reminded me of something found in Psalms 91: When we hide in the presence of the Lord, we also abide under the protective shadow of His wings.
As we were driving through the fallen debris on the road, it reminded me of people who love watching horror movies. (I don’t why, but it did.) Even though the images on the big screen are frightening to the viewers, we realize that it is just that, images. Perhaps this is why so many people in the world are drawn to these types of films. They know that the people are actors, and the scenes have been staged. Nevertheless, the movies are produced in such a realistic way that it makes the viewer respond out of fear anyway. Apparently, people love the experience of being out of control or watching violent situations . . . as long as they don’t have to face them personally.
Didn’t the psalmist write, “Only with our eyes shall you look and see the reward of the wicked?” Doesn’t that sound a lot like being at a movie? Although there are correlations between watching a movie and seeing the reward of the wicked with our eyes, we must understand that movies are fictional, and life is reality. Just like the psalmist wrote, we are a witness to the horror and threats, but we’re not partakers of it because we’ve made the choice to be secure under the wings of safety.
Satan loves to imitate and to pervert the principles of God’s Word and kingdom. He uses these devices of deception to entangle people and distract them from the truth. I enjoy going to an encouraging or humorous movie occasionally. It’s an excellent time for our family to enjoy something together. As long as people see movies for what they are, entertainment, there’s no real danger.
If we allow ourselves to get caught up in the emotion of the way things appear, however, we may lose sight of truth (or what is real). Remember, Satan is big into image and sight. He promised Eve that she would become like God by eating of the forbidden fruit which looked so appealing. It was the feeling that she experienced that caused her to buy into Satan’s lies. Eve left reality behind. Due to her choice, she was unprotected from Satan, and he took full advantage of the opportunity to destroy what God had already given them in the garden.
We must stay under the safety of God’s protection so that Satan doesn’t trick us into perceiving a lie as the truth. If God is our refuge and our dwelling place, no evil will overcome us. He gives His angels charge over us to keep us in all our ways. I choose to dwell in the secret place of the Most High, and I invite you into the safety of His presence today. —submitted by Asa Dockery, US
