OUR GOD PROTECTS US IN COUNTLESS WAYS EACH DAY
_______________________________________________________
“How precious, O God, is Your constant love! We find protection under the shadow of Your wings.” – Psalm 36:7 –
Looking back on your lifetime, do you remember times when God stepped in and miraculously delivered you from danger? As believers, we are blessed to have a God who loves and protects us.
Yet do we recognize how often God saves us over the course of our day… our years past… our lifetime? He saves us countless times from accidental happenings… dangerous situations… intents of evil. Our Lord steps in and spares us from harm. With His mighty hand, He stays the forces of evil that come against us. All that happens to us is sifted through His divine hands.
“For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so My ways are higher than your ways and My thoughts than your thoughts.” – Isaiah 55:9
Ours is a fallen world where sin abounds and evil happens. For this reason, we may not notice our Lord’s ever-presence with us. Although we can never know the mind of God, He is forever in control even when all seems out of control. We can only trust in His perfect character and His sovereign rule.
God has saved us from ourselves more times than we can count. He saves us from many a wrong decision… foolish choice… thoughtless word… unwise action. He protects us when we lack discernment, forethought or caution.
Can we, then, throw caution to the wind… do as we please… knowing the Lord is protecting us?
Jesus faced such a temptation from Satan. The enemy challenged Him to take a risk. If He were the Son of God, He could cast Himself down from the topmost point of the temple. Surely the angels would save Him. Jesus answered Satan’s dare…
“The scripture says, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’” – Luke 4:12
God acts sovereignly. We are not to test His power and protection. We are not to presumptuously assume He will save us. Placing ourselves in harm’s way… acting recklessly… flirting with danger… all take us outside the will of God. We step out from under His umbrella of protection.
“The Lord says, ‘I will rescue those who love Me. I will protect those who trust in My name.’” – Psalm 91:14
God promises His protection to those who love Him. When we seek to abide in Christ and follow His will, He will save us. He will divinely intervene on our behalf.
The Lord has given us His Spirit as our continual source of guidance, counsel and protection. When we recognize and act on His leadings, we stay within His realm of protection. Perhaps an accident missed… an incident averted… an evil avoided. When we fail to notice the Spirit’s inclinations, we often face the repercussions.
“Watch out, you who live in your own light and warm yourselves by your own fires.” – Isaiah 50:11
What causes us to miss the divine leadings of the Holy Spirit?
We may succumb to our sinful nature or our willful ways… ignoring the inclinations of the Spirit. Perhaps we choose to go ahead of God without His blessing. We may decide to pursue our own path rather than His path. We may choose to follow our own light instead of the light of Christ.
If the Spirit of Christ reigns in us, why do we step off His path? The Lord designed us with the ability to choose. He has blessed us with free choice… freedom to determine who we follow and how we behave… to our advantage or detriment.
How often we learn from facing negative consequences. That is why our Lord may let us follow our own will at times. We may trip up… we may wander… we may ignore His providential warnings. Yet He does not give up on us… provided we don’t give up on ourselves. We continue to repent, accept His forgiveness and carry on.
God desires our genuine love and obedience. If we only loved Him because we had no other choice, our love would not be heartfelt and real. If, however, we choose to love Him, how very special that love becomes. In this way, He knows just who are His true children. For it is out of our love for Him that we follow His ways.
“We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of His will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives.” – Colossians 1:9
The apostle Paul prayed for the people of the church in Colossae that they would learn to walk in the Spirit… to yield to the Spirit’s guidance in their lives. That is to be the prayer for our lives… to walk in the Spirit… to act in the wisdom and will of God.
As we abide in Christ… as we stay close to Him… He will be our Rescuer. As we trust in Him… as we learn from Him… as we walk in His ways… He will be our Deliverer. We live each day in gratitude for the countless ways our Lord loves and protects us. He is the One who saves… even when we are unaware of His sovereign power and protection.
