Psalm 91 Prayer For Protection In Hard Times (2024)

I said Psalm 91 as a daily prayer when I lived with very severe Myalgic Encephalomyelitis.

Well, to be accurate I didn't say all ofit. I had minimal use of my arms so I couldn't always reach out for a Bible.

But I learned a chunk of this psalm prayer and said it by heart :-)

This page includes my personalised psalm prayer followed by the original words from the King James version.

Click on this link to see various Psalm 91 gifts, including a version of the eagle image above as a customizable Psalm91 Greetings Card.

A prayer for strength, a prayer for protection when my life was not safe

If you came here looking for the words to Psalm 91, please scroll down.
I include an adapted version suitable for a personalized psalm prayer to call protection specifically into your own life.
Beneath the adapted version you will find the original words to the psalm, if you wish to read them.

I was in a situation whereI couldn’t speak or move muchand I didn't have someone I could rely on to advocate for me.

Life was not safe. I was totally dependent on others. And others were often not dependable.

In terms of care, I was living in London (UK) and depended oncouncil care. There were some wonderful carers. But there were many whoweren’t wonderful. I never knew who was going to walk through thedoor, or how they would treat me.

Even if a carer had the best of intentions, I was so ill that,without training, it would be weeks before someone could look after mein a way that did not cause me unnecessary pain.

I needed Divine protection.

I needed to know there was a source of strength and protection available beyond myself.

I trained my mind to say the personalized Psalm 91 each day as a prayer for strength and a prayer for protection.

Saying this psalm prayer was part of my commitment to developing the belief that - on some level -I am, and can never be other than, safe.

The part of the psalm which calls on the protection of angels is especially comforting to many people.

As with some other famous prayers, such asthe Prayer to the Holy Spirit, I changed the psalm to make it more personal.

I turned Psalm 91 into a personalized psalm prayer in which I talk directly to God and claim protection over my circ*mstances.

Above I offer an audio version of myself, Katherine, reading the personalised version of the Psalm 91 prayer in a youtube video. The words are given so you can pray along.

(The original words of psalm 91 are further down in this article.)

“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.

Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler,
and from the noisome pestilence.

He shall cover thee with his feathers,
and under his wings shalt thou trust:
his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.

Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night;
nor for the arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness;
nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday.
A thousand shall fall at thy side,
and ten thousand at thy right hand;
but it shall not come nigh thee.

Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
Because thou hast made the LORD, which is my refuge,
even the most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee,
neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.

For he shall give his angels charge over thee,
to keep thee in all thy ways.
They shall bear thee up in their hands,
lest thou dash thy foot against a stone.
Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder:
the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet.

Because he hath set his love upon me,
therefore will I deliver him:
I will set him on high,
because he hath known my name.

He shall call upon me, and I will answer him:
I will be with him in trouble;
I will deliver him, and honour him.

With long life will I satisfy him,
and shew him my salvation.”

(Psalm 91 prayer, KJV e-sword)

THE MEANING OF THE PSALM 91 PRAYER
Interpretation -
We Claim Our Safety
We Dwell In God

“Today, I dwell in the secret place of the most High...

...and so I abide in the shadow of the Almighty.”

How fantastic.

Yes, I was living in a house that was not safe for me. (I had severesensitivities to chemicals, and would get horrendous symptoms from neighbouring flats being painted.)

Yes, I was dependent on people who could not or would not look after me well.
But, in reality, I was and am also living somewhere else.

Psalm 91 tells me I am living in “the secret place of the most High.”
Psalm 91 tells me I am always only ever a shadow’s distance away from God.

Whatever is going on for you right now, know that in reality you remain safe in God.

On some level, you are not who you seem to be.
You are not where you seem to be.

God’s reality – a reality of love and perfection – is greater than the circ*mstances of your life. And, as you call on this reality more and more, it is coming into your life:

Perhaps you will first have moments of peace, regardless of the circ*mstances.
Perhaps later you may even have a change in those circ*mstances.

The meaning of the Psalm 91 prayer is that God is our home.
If we ever have been or ever will be in God, then that is where we are right now.

God is Love.God is changeless.

It is not for God to change. It is for us to change our minds – toaccept the reality of God’s love until our lives become transformed.

Articles relevant to Psalm Prayer 91

• Click to see a selection of Psalm 91 gifts available to buy in my Zazzle Healing Store. Mugs, T Shirts and wall art.
  
• I continue to look in detail at the meaning of Psalm 91 on the next page -Psalm 91 Prayer For Peace Of Mind
• Read other prayers for protection.
  
• In another article, I consider how this psalm prayer can be used to claim your strength in God.
• If you are using this psalm as a prayer to overcome fear, you may be interested in this article: Allow God to love you in a time of fear and thereby move from fear to faith.