God's Protection

Read Psalm 88, 91, 95, 108-109
 
Psalm 91:9-13 If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the Most High your shelter, 10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home. 11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. 12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone. 13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
 
IN our very brief look at the psalms, we have already seen the repeated assurance of God as a refuge, as our protection. God’s inspired Word stresses this for a reason. The world is a harsh place that continually assaults our faith. The devil even used these words from Psalm 91 to tempt Jesus: Matthew 4:6 and said, “If you are the Son of God, jump off! For the Scriptures say, ‘He will order his angels to protect you. And they will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone.’” The devil slings his arrows of doubt even toward the Living Word made flesh. And he certainly casts his lies toward the Christian. Doubt is evil’s catalyst to sin and weak faith. We must continually work to fight off the deceiver’s words, so the Holy Spirit can build faith into our hearts.
   That is David’s proclamation. Believe in your heart that God is your protection, and he will protect you eternally. There is no plague or problem that will destroy your relationship with God. Even as death draws its cloak over our eyes, it opens our soul to a new beginning eternally secure under God’s saving wings.
   The reference to trampling fierce lions and cobras is an image of defeating sin. “Snake” is very often a reference to the devil. And Peter warns Satan is a “roaring lion looking for someone to devour” (1 Peter 5:8b). Be warned and be assured. Danger will assault every Christian in some form. God’s unyielding truth will deliver you from the evil. What comfort to know God protects us from the eternal hellish nightmare!
   One other comfort to understand here is the work of God’s angels. The Bible points often to angels as God’s protective hand over believers. Angels warned Lot to leave Sodom (Genesis 19). They welcomed Jacob back home (Genesis 32) after 20 years’ absence and his worries about Esau’s possible vengeance. Angels announced Jesus’ birth (Luke 2), and his re-birth from the grave. Angels freed Peter and John from jail (Acts 5). And angels are God’s agents of  final judgment on earth (Revelation).
   Live with an unyielding faith in God as your Deliverer, Protector and Savior. He has made a way for you to safely come to him.