For some strange reason, I am recalling the Cowardly Lion's monologue from "The Wizard of Oz", the one that starts:

       "What makes a King out of a slave?
       Courage!
       What makes the flag on the mast to wave?
       Courage!
       What makes the elephant charge his tusk in the misty mist, or the dusky dusk?
       What makes the muskrat guard his musk?
       Courage!"

This wise psalmist would have replaced the focus of this speech with the exclamation, "Faith!" The wonders of protection and blessing described in this psalm are all possible solely because the believer puts all of his trust in God and has chosen to make his home with the Most High. God was the answer to every fear in the psalmist's life: disease, defeat, destruction, fear, loneliness, and death. God's power exceeds every challenge, and God's love draws us intimately close like a hen nestles her brood under her wings.

You probably recognize part of this psalm from Jesus' temptation in the wilderness. Satan quoted it when he tempted Jesus to jump off the temple so everyone could see God's angels catching Him before He dashed His foot against a stone. The life and death of Jesus adds to our understanding of this psalm when we resolve what appear to be contradictions. We might argue that the promise that "no evil shall happen to you" was broken in Judas' betrayal, and that the crucifixion qualifies as "the destruction that wastes at noonday" that was not supposed to come. These very thoughts might have been why Satan chose to quote this psalm to see if the earthly Jesus would view God's promises solely from an earthly perspective and succumb to sin.

Instead, Jesus set an example for us and kept true to God's heavenly perspective. In that sense, we should remember that Jesus explained that He would lay down his life—that no one would take it from Him—in John 10:17-18. As horrible as the experience of the crucifixion, Jesus knew that God would not permit evil to win. As the psalm promised, God would deliver Him and honor Him, and out of this experience would come salvation.

One final observation: one reason the Cowardly Lion longed for courage was because he felt he lacked it.

       "What makes the Hottentot so hot?
       What puts the ape in ape-ricot?
       What have they got that I ain't got?"

His friends responded, "Courage!", and he replied, "You can say that again!"

We already have our heavenly home, we know about God's promises, and we experience God's presence each day. We cannot allow our certainty or familiarity to erode our commitment. It is essential for our spiritual growth that we are as fervent for our faith as the Cowardly Lion was for courage. We find out in the movie that the Cowardly Lion's quest was misguided, but our quest to reach our heavenly home is the highest and most gratifying calling we can have.