Preserved

The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade at your right hand.

(Psalm 121:5, NKJV)

Passing by a jewelry shop it was easy to notice the safety measures that the owners had put in place.   The pieces of jewelry on display were worth a lot of money and the owners did not take any chances of losing the items to theft.  The effort put into securing the premises communicated the great value that the owners attributed to their stocked items.  We all take time to put away safely, things that we value and have safe boxes for such valuables.  For items that we use often, for example, our phones and tablets, we have screen protectors.  The idea is the same, we are protecting what we have bought and valued.  The worth of the item to our eyes is what drives us to get protectors and safe storage.  At the same time, it is not odd to find that items of value and worth are also placed on display in homes and public places.  The effort to protect them does not take away the need for us to show off the items in a display closet.  We therefore do not necessarily hide the items but we secure them in the best way we know then display them communicating a message of pride in our collection.

Beloved, just as we have items of value and pride, we too are God’s children of His pride and joy.  Our reference verse reminds us that the Lord keeps us and we know that His keeping is safe and secure.  His protection over us is even from the elements that He created, He provides a shade over us against those which would hurt or harm us.  His protection of love is not limited in any way, He goes all out to ensure our safety and security in His love.  Psalm 121 speaks of God’s covering over His children and His assurance of protection.  He never slumbers watching over us, we cannot slip from His grip of protection and even when we go out and come in, His watchful eyes are continually over us.  It is His joy to watch over us lovingly and to prioritize His care over His own.  This Psalm gives us a confidence of God’s love and pride over us.

In watching over us and His purposes on earth, we see Him physically hiding Moses from Pharoah.  When Moses was born, all male children were supposed to be killed, but God in His divine plan had Moses hidden by his mother (Hebrews 11:23) and then raised right under Pharaoh’s roof.  That was God protecting His purposes through Moses, hiding him in plain sight and ensuring that His plans for the deliverance of the Israelities were not thwarted (Exodus 2).  Also when Jesus was born, by the instructions of an angel, Joseph and Mary took the baby to hide in Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15).  God made sure that Jesus though a baby was safe so that He could not be killed by king Herod.  There is no detail of our lives which is too small for God to intervene in, His love for us and His divine purposes for our lives make Him choose to protect our every move, keeping us safe and secure in spite of the dangers around us. 

Jesus’ death on the cross and His shed blood covers us in all situations when we pray.  Our avenue to accessing this protection and covering is through prayers and we know that our God answers prayers.  The blood of Jesus speaks for us (Hebrews 12:24) and the power of the blood is enough protection from any danger.  God’s promises are sure and so when He tells us that He will hide us from trouble, hiding us in His secret pavilion (Psalm 31:20), we are confident that we are secure.  In moments of stress and pain, let us be reminded that the name of the Lord is a great tower, to which we run and are safe (Proverbs 18:10). Beloved, no matter what is happening around you, allow your heart to rest in the confidence that our Father will not let your foot slip and that His eyes are always and forever watching over you.

Thoughts:

What does God’s protection mean to you?

Have you had moments of God’s unexplained protection?

How does being aware of God’s loving protection impact your life?