We recognize God as the Faithful One, the Sovereign One, the Loving One, the Holy One. We often focus on His goodness, His patience, His mercy. But one aspect of God that we often don’t think about is His protection. When our kids were growing up (or still may be growing up), we did everything we could to protect them… we had to say NO sometimes, we held their hand, we had them call us when they were out. Out of a parent’s great love, they protect their children. Well, God does the same for His children. He is ALWAYS protecting us.
In fact, the Bible tells us of several incredible ways He protects: the Name of Jesus (John 17:11); the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 1:14); the blood of Jesus (Revelation 12:11). And Psalm 91 speaks of three ways He protects us… His feathers/wings (Psalm 91:4); His promises (Psalm 91:4); His angels (Psalm 91:11). It seems to me that God goes to great measures to protect us. But I think that we often wonder… “If God protects us, why has this happened to me?” “Why do Christians suffer?” “Why do bad things happen to us?”
Considering that, we need to remember that we still live in a fallen, a cursed, world. And the prince of the world is roaming around looking for people to devour. God’s protection doesn’t stop us from being attacked, but it does protect us from being conquered by the evil one. In fact, Revelation 12:11 says that Christians that came through the Tribulation conquered the enemy’s power by the blood of Jesus and their testimony. So the question becomes, what does God protect me from?
The big answer is the enemy. But let’s break it down a little bit. Since the Holy Spirit leads us to truth, then He is the One who protects me from falling into deception. He may put a check in my spirit when I’m about to follow someone’s teaching, or He may remind me of a verse at a moment I really need it. The Holy Spirit also protects my future, my inheritance because He is my deposit, my guarantee. God’s promises also protect my future because they are reliable. The blood of Jesus protects my salvation.
And then… He also protects us at times from making bad decisions, from being hurt, from falling, from slipping away. He may send His angels to hold me up in their hands, or He may just cover me with His wings. I’m guessing that without the protection of our loving Father, we would be in a completely different place, don’t you agree? There are a lot of things we may not understand or see now, but when we get to heaven, we will see the many ways God protected us on earth. Aren’t you thankful for your Protector?