I have referenced Psalm 91 numerous times. The main one being during the anniversary of the March 19, 2018 tornado that devastated the Jacksonville State campus and surrounding areas. This time, I wanted to share one man's testimony of how Psalm 91 has stuck with him for over twenty years.

Psalm 91 starts of like this: "He who lives under the shadow of the Most High dwells in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say concerning the Lord, who is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust (Psalm 91:1-2, CSB)."

In 1996, Shane Williams was just graduating high school and getting ready to go into the Marines. Ironically, twenty-three years later, his son Tyler is getting ready to follow in his father's footsteps, heading into the Marines this fall. Anyway, Shane was given a Bible prior to leaving for the Marines, which had all of his friends' and family members' addresses in it. He proudly says with a chuckle, "It's the only Bible I've ever seen that has 'Iron your socks and underwear' in it." It was in this Bible Shane found a verse that has followed him and been in action in his life for over twenty years now.

One night, while going through a lot, Shane opened this Bible to Psalm 91. What happened next, he says, was a work of God in his life. "My bunk mate handed me a pamphlet on Psalm 91, and it was in that moment I knew God was speaking to me," Shane says. Since then, Shane has worn the passage as either a necklace or bracelet or some other form.

An interesting fact about this passage that Shane told me is that this passage of Scripture is often referred to as the "Military Prayer." It is assumed that the writer of this particular Old Testament passage is in the midst of a war. "This passage not only speaks of physical protection, but also the spiritual protection we find in God through Jesus's death and resurrection," Shane mentions.

Then came the day that the world seemingly stopped spinning in the state of Alabama, April 27, 2011. Over sixty tornadoes, approximately 250 fatalities, but in the midst of it all, Shane says God was speaking to him that day. One page from the Bible traveled hundreds of square miles between Tuscaloosa and Pine Mountain in beautiful Remlap, Alabama. One page from the Bible traveled all that way in the debris ball formed in the tornado, and it fell, in perfect condition, in Shane's front yard.

After the storm, as many did across the state of Alabama, Shane and others on the mountain went out in their yards and found many items from all over the state: some from Tuscaloosa, some from Bessemer and Birmingham areas, some from Cullman, and even some from as far as the Alabama-Mississippi state line. What Shane found in the rubble thrown in his yard from the storm he calls a message from God. Psalm 91 fell from the rubble in Shane's yard in perfect condition.

"I believe that, in the midst of the literal storm the state of Alabama was experiencing, God was sending a message to those around us that we were protected by His grace and His eternal shelter. Whether we were to be called home in those storms or not, God was telling us that we were covered," Shane says. He continues by saying, "I don't believe it is mere coincidence that the same verses I was wearing on a necklace at the time happen to fall from the sky. That was God slapping me across the face and telling me we were protected."

To this day, Shane has the page of Scripture in a picture frame, and he keeps it on his desk in his work space at the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, where he is a homicide detective. "It is a constant reminder that, no matter what I go through, my soul is protected in Christ," Shane says. "This is definitely a comfort in my job, because you never know when you might go into a homicide situation where the killer might shoot at police, and it ends up being you that doesn't go home to your family.".

Shane's story is a story of faith. Before he even encountered Psalm 91 in the Marine Corps, he was not expected to make it to 18. "My chest was caved in, and I had to have surgery to fix that," Shane recalls. "It's a miracle to this day that I am still here, but I know it's because God has a plan to use me as an instrument for His glory."

Shane recalls, "I went into the Marines to prove to everybody, especially the doctors and myself, that I could do anything. If I could get through the Marine Corp, probably the toughest military branch by far, I could do anything." Even with the physical demands of the Marine Corps and his job as a homicide detective, today, Shane is as relatively healthy as can be.

Shane's story teaches us that God is real, God speaks to us, and there's no such thing as mere coincidence. Sometimes, as I mentioned in our last Greater Purpose article, we often hear God, but let it go in one ear and out the other, just like we do with our parents. It is in those moments that God slaps us in the face with His voice and tells us He is in control. It is my prayer that all who read this will examine themselves and see what God is saying to them through Shane's story, as well as His Holy Word, the Bible.

Shane with Psalm 91 that fell during April 27, 2011 tornadoes in a frame. Personal Photo.