Psalm 91: The Prayer of Protection
Psalm 91 as a daily prayer of protection — the full psalm, what its promises mean, and how to pray it over yourself and your family.
For thousands of years, God's people have prayed one psalm above all others when they needed to feel safe: Psalm 91. Soldiers have carried it into battle, parents have prayed it over sleeping children, and the sick have whispered it in hospital rooms. It is Scripture's great prayer of protection — and it is meant to be prayed, not just read.
Psalm 91 (World English Bible, public domain)
He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, "He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust."
For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart. You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day, nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.
A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you. You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked. Because you have made the LORD your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place, no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways. They will bear you up in their hands, so that you won't dash your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.
"Because he has set his love on me, therefore I will deliver him. I will set him on high, because he has known my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him. I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation."
What Makes This Psalm Different
Notice the turn at the end: the psalm begins with the pray-er speaking about God — and closes with God Himself speaking. "I will deliver him... I will answer him... I will be with him in trouble." Psalm 91 is a conversation that God finishes. The conditions are named too: dwelling in Him, loving Him, calling on Him. This is a psalm about staying close, and protection as the atmosphere of that closeness.
How to Pray Psalm 91
- Personalize it. Pray it in the first person: "I dwell in the secret place of the Most High... He covers me with His feathers." Put your family's names in it.
- Pray it at the thresholds. Morning before the day, evening before sleep, before travel, before surgery.
- Pair it with the fear scriptures. When anxiety is the battle, Psalm 91 alongside our Scriptures for Fear and Anxiety makes a complete arsenal.
Marybeth's own prayer built on this psalm is here: Prayer for Protection — and her teaching on standing firm continues in Stand Your Ground and How to Stop the Devil.
Related Resources
This page is part of our free Scripture & Prayer Library. For Marybeth's personal teaching, testimony, and encouragement, visit the blog — or join us live at our daily prayer call and weekly Bible study.