Single lesson
Psalm 91: You Are My Refuge and My Fortress
Psalms 91:1–16
Psalm 91 uses strong pictures to speak about safety with God. In this lesson, children trace who is speaking, notice the images in the poem, and describe how the words move from trust, to danger, to God’s own reply.
Before you teach
This psalm is a poem about dwelling with the Most High, calling Yahweh a refuge, and trusting him in danger. The speakers shift through the psalm: one voice speaks about the person who dwells with God, then speaks directly to that person, and at the end God speaks in the first person.
Students will identify the changing speakers in Psalm 91 and explain how the psalm uses refuge images to express trust in God.
Welcome: What is a refuge?
4 minShow a house picture, a shield picture, and a bird with wings. Ask children what each one protects from. Explain that Psalm 91 is a poem, so it teaches with word pictures. Listen for repeated protection words such as “refuge”, “fortress”, “shadow”, “wings”, “shield” and “rampart”.
Psalms 91:1, Psalms 91:2, Psalms 91:4
Read and spot the first voice
7 minRead verses 1-4 aloud slowly. Ask children to notice when the poem says “he” and when it says “I”. In verse 2, the speaker answers personally: “my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust”. Point out that dwelling, resting, refuge and fortress all describe nearness and safety with God.
Psalms 91:1, Psalms 91:2, Psalms 91:3, Psalms 91:4
Discuss the middle images of danger and care
7 minRead verses 5-13. List the dangers named in the psalm: terror, arrow, pestilence, destruction, stone, lion, cobra and serpent. Then list the care named: refuge, dwelling place, angels guarding, and being borne up. Help children see that the poem piles up images to strengthen the message of trust.
Psalms 91:5, Psalms 91:6, Psalms 91:9, Psalms 91:11, Psalms 91:12, Psalms 91:13
Make and respond: Refuge image card
8 minChildren choose one image from the psalm and draw it on a folded card. Inside, they copy a short phrase such as “my refuge and my fortress” or “under his wings”. Invite each child to say which verse they chose and whether it sounds like praise, need, or trust in this poem.
Psalms 91:2, Psalms 91:4, Psalms 91:9
Closing: Hear God’s own reply
4 minRead verses 14-16 and ask, “Who is speaking now?” Help children hear that God now says “I will”. Review the movement of the psalm: a statement about dwelling with God, a personal confession of trust, words of protection, and God’s own answer to the one who calls on him.
Psalms 91:14, Psalms 91:15, Psalms 91:16
Questions to explore
In which verse does the speaker first say “my refuge and my fortress”, and what does that tell us about the psalm?
Look for the first “I will say” statement. It shows the poem is not only describing God, but also expressing personal trust in him.
Psalms 91:2
What different protection images can you find in the psalm, and how are they different from each other?
Compare the pictures of shadow, fortress, wings, shield and angels. Each image adds another way of describing safety and care.
Psalms 91:1, Psalms 91:2, Psalms 91:4, Psalms 91:11, Psalms 91:12
How do verses 14-16 sound different from the earlier verses?
Notice the repeated “I will” words. The voice changes so that God speaks directly about delivering, answering and being with the one who calls on him.
Psalms 91:14, Psalms 91:15, Psalms 91:16
Make, think or respond
Refuge Image Card
What you’ll need
- paper or cardboard
- pencils
- coloured pencils or crayons
- Bible text
Try it together
- Fold a piece of paper to make a simple card.
- Choose one image from Psalm 91 such as shadow, fortress, wings, shield or angels.
- Draw the image on the front and copy a short phrase from the matching verse inside.
- Share the card with the group and explain how the image expresses trust in God in this psalm.
This activity helps children notice the poem’s images and connect each picture to the psalm’s message of trust and refuge.
Adapt for your group
- For younger children, pre-write two or three short verse phrases for them to choose from and copy.
- For older children, ask them to sort the psalm into voice changes: verses about “he”, a personal “I”, direct “you”, and God’s “I will” reply.
An optional closing prayer
You may pray: “Yahweh, thank you that this psalm calls you our refuge and fortress. Help us trust you and listen carefully to your words. Amen.”
Read the Bible passage World English Bible Classic
Psalms 91
1 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of Yahweh, “He is my refuge and my fortress; my God, in whom I trust.”
3 For he will deliver you from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence.
4 He will cover you with his feathers. Under his wings you will take refuge. His faithfulness is your shield and rampart.
5 You shall not be afraid of the terror by night, nor of the arrow that flies by day,
6 nor of the pestilence that walks in darkness, nor of the destruction that wastes at noonday.
7 A thousand may fall at your side, and ten thousand at your right hand; but it will not come near you.
8 You will only look with your eyes, and see the recompense of the wicked.
9 Because you have made Yahweh your refuge, and the Most High your dwelling place,
10 no evil shall happen to you, neither shall any plague come near your dwelling.
11 For he will put his angels in charge of you, to guard you in all your ways.
12 They will bear you up in their hands, so that you won’t dash your foot against a stone.
13 You will tread on the lion and cobra. You will trample the young lion and the serpent underfoot.
14 “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.
15 He will call on me, and I will answer him. I will be with him in trouble. I will deliver him, and honor him.
16 I will satisfy him with long life, and show him my salvation.”
World English Bible Classic. Public domain.