Read
He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High
will abide in the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.”
Psalm 91:1-2
Reflect
Its name was the USS Constitution, one of the original frigates authorized by Congress in 1794 as the young United States began building a permanent navy. Launched in Boston in 1797, the ship was soon put to work protecting American interests at sea, including service during the conflicts with the Barbary states in the Mediterranean.
But it was during the War of 1812 that the Constitution earned its lasting reputation. The British Royal Navy was feared around the globe, and one of the grievances that helped lead the United States into war was the British practice of stopping ships and impressing sailors into naval service.
On August 19, 1812, about 600 miles east of Boston, the Constitution met HMS Guerriere in battle. The two ships traded cannon fire at close range, but something remarkable happened. While the Constitution‘s guns tore into the British vessel, some of the British cannonballs seemed to bounce from the American frigate’s thick oak hull. According to the story, one sailor cried out, “Huzzah! Her sides are made of iron!”
They weren’t, of course. But the nickname stuck. Old Ironsides.
The Guerriere was so badly damaged that it could not be saved, and the victory made the Constitution a national symbol. She would win additional victories during the war and continue serving the United States for decades afterward. Today, the USS Constitution remains a commissioned United States Navy vessel in Boston and is the world’s oldest commissioned warship afloat.
When I think of Old Ironsides taking cannon fire that seemed unable to penetrate her hull, I’m reminded of the words of Psalm 91: “My refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust.”
There are few things in life that are truly reliable all of the time. In fact, I can’t think of anything earthly that has a 100 percent record of protecting us. Buildings fail. Plans collapse. People disappoint us. Our health can change. Even the strongest things we build eventually show their weaknesses.
But God does not.
That doesn’t mean people who trust Him will never be struck by trouble. Psalm 91 isn’t a promise that the cannonballs of life will always bounce harmlessly away. Christians still face illness, grief, disappointment, loss and circumstances we desperately wish God would remove.
The promise is that none of those things can make God cease to be our refuge.
Sometimes He delivers us from the battle. Sometimes He carries us through it. Sometimes His answer to prayer looks exactly like the rescue we hoped for, and sometimes His answer comes in a form we never expected. But He always hears when we call, and He remains faithful according to His perfect will.
So as you go through your day, don’t neglect to reach out to the Lord in prayer in your smallest needs as well as your greatest ones. Seek shelter in the dwelling place of the Most High. Trust the One who remains strong when every earthly stronghold eventually fails.
The promise isn’t that nothing will ever strike us. It is that nothing can remove us from the shelter of the One in whom we trust.
Enjoyed this? Subscribe and get future reflections, bourbon notes, and assorted nonsense delivered straight to your inbox.
Reflection copyright © 2026 Doug DeBolt.
