My Refuge and My Fortress

A Reflection on the Psalm for March 9th, 2025:
First Sunday of Lent

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Psalm 91

R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

You who live in the shelter of the Most High, who abide in the shadow of the Almighty, will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”

R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

No evil shall befall you, no scourge come near your tent. For he will command his Angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.

R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

On their hands they will bear you up, so that you will not dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder, the young lion and the serpent you will trample under foot.

R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

The one who loves me, I will deliver; I will protect the one who knows my name. When he calls to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will rescue him and honour him.

​R. Be with me, Lord, when I am in trouble.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

As a teenager, when I read Psalm 91 for the first time while preparing to be Confirmed, I was struck by how reassuring it was. It lays out how we have a God who always protects us and is by our side. Through the rough and tumble of life, I’ve come to know the truth behind the words of Psalm 91 more than a few times. As we begin our Lenten journey, Psalm 91 is a good reminder that the Lord is beside us even through and especially in the tough times. The Lord is our “refuge” and “fortress”. Lent does not have to be this period of time spent checking boxes of what I have done for the Lord. Instead, it could be a time of renewal of my trust and confidence in the Lord’s goodness for me.

This Lent, let us come to depend on the truth that the Lord is so faithful that He is constantly asking His angels to “bear us up”, so that we will not “dash our feet against the stone”. On some level, it’s easier for us living in Canada to picture a friend holding our hand as we walk over slippery roads after an ice storm. Be it an angel or a friend, we can thank the Lord for His goodness in placing said creature in our life. 

I’ve been blessed by true friendship that helps me trust in what God has in store for me, and helps me not to lean on my own understanding. Recently, while going through a moment of despair about an upcoming decision that I have discerned, I reached out to my friend in a state of panic. And my friend reassured me by saying that “although I may not be able to see the entire path that God has prepared for me, God is giving me just enough light to see the next step.” God indeed “protected me who knows His name” by prompting me to turn to my friend when I was upset, and He “delivered me” by means of the advice given.

God is constantly at work in all the minute details of our lives, be it through circumstances, through people, or through prayerful discernment. Psalm 91 can be the prayer of protection we turn to when the future seems uncertain or unclear. Let us begin Lent with the reassurance that ours is a God who is interested in the small, seemingly irrelevant details of our life.

Lord Jesus, thank you that my heart beats for you and because of you. Give me the courage to love you more and more daily. Help me trust that you know what will help me grow and flourish. God, you have only good in mind for me. I trust you to lead me in the way you want me to go. Amen.




Rebecca D'Mello

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