Psalm 91
The Psalm of Protection — "He shall cover thee with his feathers."
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.
Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge,
even the most High, thy habitation;
there shall no evil befall thee.
Amen.
About this prayer
Psalm 91 is the great prayer of refuge — read by soldiers before battle, by parents over sleeping children, by the sick, by anyone who has ever felt the world's edges close in. Its images are tender: the shadow of wings, the secret place. They are also fierce: a fortress, a shield. The God of Psalm 91 is not far away. He is the place you are already standing.
When to pray it
When you are afraid for someone you love. When you walk into something dangerous. At night, before sleep. In times of widespread fear or illness.