For the past few weeks I’ve been writing about how God can, and does, do the impossible in our world (hence the series title). Today I want us to wrestle with a difficult topic: protection. I believe that God protects us in numerous ways. My family was in a roll-over accident years ago, and looking at the damage later it is a miracle we all survived. I firmly believe that was a miracle of protection. During the unrest here in Nicaragua I have twice missed being in a dangerous situation by just a couple of minutes. Like most of you I could go on and on with instances where I believe God has protected me. Yet, I can also list many occasions where it seems God did not offer protection. I think of a youth group student killed in a tractor accident, a loving husband and father killed on a snowmobile, and the over three hundred killed here in Nicaragua over the past few months. I’d be lying if I didn’t admit that there were moments during those tragedies where I wondered where God’s protection was. With that in mind, how can we have faith that God will protect us? How do we handle the seeming reality that he does not always appear to protect His people?
There is one simple verse that does an amazing job addressing these seemingly super complex questions: The Lord rescues the Godly; He is their fortress in times of trouble. Psalm 37:39
First, the Psalmist tells us that God does indeed protect us. He will miraculously intervene to assist us in times of great struggle, offering us protection, wisdom, healing, etc. While some may argue that miracles ceased when the Bible was finished I’ve seen way to many examples of God’s miraculous protection and interference to believe that. I truly believe that God continues to do the miraculous on the part of His people, including you and me. Our role is to be praying for His action, trusting His ways, and worshiping Him for all he does. But (yes, there is seemingly always a but), this verse does not say that God will protect us from everything. Because of human sin a plethora of problems have come into our world, including suffering and death. That’s the price of sin. Yet, look at what this scripture DOES say. He (God) is their fortress in times of trouble. Terrible things will happen to us and others because of the sin of this world, but that does not mean God has abandoned us. God is right there in the midst of those moments crying with us, comforting us, directing us, and carrying us. We need to open our hearts and minds to God in the moments we don’t feel protected, letting his comfort and love overwhelm us. Most importantly, we need to always remember that Jesus has already suffered and died so that we can be protected forever. Because the truth is that, in the end, God’s grace offers us eternal protection in a perfect Heaven.
