New Light on the 91st Psalm by Rev. Christine Emmerling, D.D. 9/6/2026

Today we’re beginning an 8-week series titled New Light on the Psalms. For my resources I’m referencing from the Aramaic translation of the Bible by George M. Lamsa, Songs of God by Joseph Murphy, an essay by Jennie H. Croft of Unity, and the Metaphysical Bible Dictionary by Charles Fillmore.

This week I’m unfolding the deeper meaning of the 91st Psalm. This is one of the more well known Psalms. People all over the world look upon it as the great prayer of protection, and many even know it by heart. It must be metaphysically, spiritually interpreted in order to understand its deeper meaning for us. I’ll first read the entire Psalm and then explain the verses.

“He that dwells 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 will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from

vain gossip.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shall trust: His truth shall be your shield and a buckler. You shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day; nor for the conspiracy that spreads in darkness, nor for the pestilence that wastes at noonday.

Thousands shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you behold the reward of the wicked. For you, O Lord, are my trust; you have established your habitation in the highest.

There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling. For he shall give his angels charge over you, to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest thou dash your foot against a stone. You shall tread upon the lion and adder; you shall trample under foot the lion and the great serpent.

Because he has loved me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high because he has 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 honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.”

We will now break it down to find and understand its deeper meaning for us.

Verse 1: “He that dwells in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.”

The words of this Scripture apply to the individual soul. The secret place of the Most High is the place of our highest thoughts, with all its wonderful sweetness and peace. It is referred to as a secret place for it is within us, and no one knows what we are thinking or meditating on. We are in communion with God, being in a state of conscious union in God as One.

When we frequently contemplate on the presence of God within us, we are said to dwell in the secret place. Dwelling in this secret place, we do not come out to meet trouble or distress. We abide, and continue under the shadow of the Almighty. We abide in the great almighty Good; and we are protected by it. Shadow is an oriental term for safety and security. Under the desert sun one seeks any shade they can find for protection.

Joseph Murphy shares a story about a woman who was caught in a fire in a hotel and began to say “I am under the shadow of the Almighty.” and a man appeared and said, “Follow me.” She was led to safety. She did not panic, but began to recite this verse of the Psalm. The answer came and she was completely protected.

All the blessings of life are for those who habitually align with the Infinite, claiming peace, harmony, right action and Divine law and order in their lives. Give all our allegiance, loyalty and devotion to the Living God that is within us and equally present everywhere in everyone, and wonders will happen in our life.

Verse 2: “I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; my God in him will I trust.”

The Lord means the I AM, the Christ within, which is the Presence of God individualized within us all. Because of the power of our I AM it is our strong fortress of safety. But this Presence is not an outside force; it is all that we know God to be in consciousness, and the knowledge that the inner Lord is also God is the refuge of all mankind.

In this refuge no one can trespass upon us, for here we realize that I and the Father are one. Trust the Infinite regardless of appearances, and it will be transformed, or a solution will be found.

Verses 3-6: “Surely he shall deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the vain gossip. He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you shall trust; his truth shall be your shield and buckler. You shall not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flies by day, nor for the conspiracy that spreads in darkness; nor for the pestilence that wastes at noonday.”

When we prepare our consciousness before going to sleep through prayer and meditation; contemplating the great truths of God prior to sleep, our sleep will be in peace, feel refreshed and rested in the morning. Then upon awakening again we prepare our consciousness for our day through prayer and mediation focusing upon the Infinite Presence, and affirming Divine guidance; we set the energy for our day.

The little doubts and fears, talking falsely and forgetting truth, are the snares; we are delivered from them by coming back into the abiding place. The pestilence, arrows and destruction is anything within the soul - our thoughts that are not clean or true or pure. The moment we are aware of the pestilence, negative fearful thoughts, we flee to our fortress, where we are above and beyond it, and where nothing can touch us. The great creative power shields us always when we remember and come to it.

The minute we turn away from the snare the everlasting Love is ready to be our shield and buckler. These defenses are not speculations. They are that which was, which is, and which shall ever be - God - yesterday, today, and forever the same.

Verses 7-10: “Thousand shall fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it shall not come near you. Only with your eyes shall you behold the reward of the wicked. For you, O Lord, are my trust; you have established your habitation in the highest. There shall no evil befall you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.”

We have in us a multitude of thoughts; some are from our subconscious mind, and others from the race mind or collective unconscious. Many of these thoughts are negative and fearful, and just fall away, and do no harm when we stay in a higher vibration centered in God - in our Truth. They dissipate into the nothingness from which they came. We keep our thoughts on what which is of Truth, pure and loving. Affirming the good we clear out the error, and clearly see the goodness that is everywhere.

Worldly conditions can no longer touch us when we stand fast to truth, and not get emotionally pulled in to the dramas of the daily scene. The soul sees the error and clears it out. We know and prove that nothing can hurt us, because we have the knowledge that transforms it.

Verses 11-12: “For he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways. They shall bear you up in their hands, lest you dash your foot against a stone.”

Angels are ministering thoughts, inspirational impulses that well up within us: spontaneous ideas which flash into our mind, giving guidance and revealing answers to us: inner prompting of the Spirit which guides and protects. Look upon the angels as Divine guidance, which directs us in all our undertakings.

These Divine thoughts go into our mind and make our thoughts right. They go into our body consciousness and set it right. If once in a while we are forgetful of the great Presence, there is a prompting thought sent to correct us. The word “stone” means truth, and if we kick Truth aside, then we are closed to receiving Divine guidance and messages.

Verse 13: “You shall tread upon the viper and adder: you shall trample under foot the lion and the great serpent.”

In the Book of Daniel, it is written that while locked in the lions’ den, he turned his back on them and turned to the God Presence within him praying, knowing he would be protected from all harm. The lions, who were purposely starved for the feast, did no harm to Daniel.

The lions symbolically mean any dire problem such as a so-called incurable disease, poverty or any impending danger. Like Daniel, we should turn towards the light of God, knowing in faith there is a solution and a way out.

Malice, criticism, and jealousy are stinging adders. Foot or feet metaphysically means understanding of spiritual Truth. When we abide in the consciousness of the I AM God, we have these under our feet and they cannot assail us.

Verse 14: “Because he has loved me, therefore will I deliver him; I will set him on high because he has known my name.”

When we love someone, we have great faith and confidence in them. Because we set our love upon God, this loving Presence brings us up on high. The high place is the place of knowledge, wisdom, power, peace, strength, love and joy. Even before we call, God answers.

This means that we are aware that the Living Spirit within us is omnipotent, supreme, and the only creative power. We must not give power to the phenomenal world or any created thing. To do so would be to put creation above the creator, which is absurd.

There is only One Power, and when we recognize and honor that Power and refuse to give power to anything outside ourselves; that is person, place or thing, or condition or circumstance, then we are loving God because we are loyal to the One Presence.

Knowing that there is only one Power and that it responds to our confidence and faith, delivers us from our problems and sets us free. When we start praying and using this 91st Psalm, we are showing our faith in God, and we are setting our love upon the Infinite Presence. As we persevere, the day will break for us and all that we were fearing shall flee away.

In the Bible, the “name” of anything means its nature. The nature of Infinite Intelligence is responsiveness. It responds to our thought. God is all there is. Besides responsiveness, God is all-powerful, all-wise, boundless love, absolute harmony, absolute peace, all intelligence and everywhere present.

To know about all these attributes, potencies and qualities of God is to be set on High above our problems and set free because of our understanding and deep realization. Contemplating God in action, and our being that activity of God in action, we become what we contemplate: then all our troubles disappear.

Verses 15-16: He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble; I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation.

Infinite Intelligence knows the answer. As we turn to the All Wise One within us, It turns to us. By the law of reciprocal relationship. It responds according to the nature of our request. We can receive answers to all problems, achieve victory over all challenges, and enter into spiritual triumph.

The long life promised is a life of happiness where we feel our self free, useful and joyous. God is Life, which is our life now, we live forever. We put God first in our life and God shows the right path for us, and all our ways are of pleasantness and all our paths are of peace. So it is!