He’s Got You!

“For He will command His Angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways” Psalm 91:11

Last summer  I was on vacation with my family in Washington D.C.   We did a vast amount of walking, and at certain times, it was necessary to carry our youngest child. One such time I was carrying her in front of me, with my purse swung over my shoulder, crossing my body.  I felt fairly secure that since my purse was on and across me, I had nothing to fear.

At lunch, my husband warned me to be careful about my bag, suggesting I keep it in front of me. While lagging a few feet behind with one of our other daughters he had observed a younger man trailing me and eyeing my purse.  Without alarming our girls, my husband hurried forward and kept in step next to this young man, finally catching his eye.

That young man suddenly did an about-face and walked the other direction.

I was stunned.  (I was also horrified because I loved that purse, and had waited several months to receive it as a birthday present!)

“Why did you not signal to me,’ I asked him.

“Oh, I had you” he answered ever so confidently.

How often does God protect us, and we never even know it?

How often do I, how often do you, claim that promise for ourselves?

Because that is what it is: a promise.

Let’s look at the rest of the passage. “For He will command His angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.  you will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent. ‘Because he loves me’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.  He will call upon me and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him and show him my salvation.’

Our faith will not obliterate consequences of willful disobedience.  But, here is some of what it will do.

No matter where you go, what you do, if you acknowledge God, his angels will serve to protect you.  God is all-powerful; He can protect us from anything. That does not mean we rely on our own strength, we must rely on God.

He will rescue us, because we love him.  Rescue. Protect. That does not mean that we will never experience anything bad in our lives.  But God will get us out of bad situations.  He will protect us from things far worse than what we experience. Maybe from a flat tire in a downpour, maybe from being alone while suffering a heart attack; the possibilities are endless.  The bottom line is this: whatever we face today, tomorrow, whenever, God will rescue us from it.  He will somehow find some way  to take care of us. Nothing is too difficult for him. So the next mountain you face, remind yourself, God is truly there, and He will rescue you!

He promises to answer us when we call on Him.  How many times have you heard someone doubt God’s existence?  Or ask, ‘How do you know He is listening?’  We need to claim that promise, that YES!, He will answer us.  We need to make sure we are ready to hear His answer, it may not be what we are thinking, but He is trustworthy!

God promises He will be with us in trouble.  We never need to go through anything along. Even when you are on a solitary path, you are not alone.  God is there.  And He cares, deeply, immensely.

“I will deliver him and honor him”.  Once we have walked through our trial, God will deliver us.  He will not leave us there. And after that deliverance, he will honor us.  We may or may not receive that honor here on earth.  But we can be sure we will receive it!

The final verse does not guarantee a long life on earth necessarily, (although that could be the case); but that promise certainly can be fulfilled spiritually.  And, when we love Him, acknowledge Him, and call upon Him, He will show us His plan for salvation.

Reflection:

1) Commit Psalm 91:11 to memory.

2) Look for ways God protects you this week.  I would love to read your sightings of God’s hand at work, even, especially the ‘little things’!

Please return next Monday, March 26, for the next post: The Greatest Love Story, Part I