God, Our Security Guard

God, Our Security Guard

This I declare about the LORD: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.

Psalm 91:2

When I lived in rural Montana, it wasn’t necessary to lock the doors of our house or cars. During the cold winter days, it’s common to see cars parked in front of the grocery stores with their engines running so they’ll stay heated up. I even have friends who don’t have the keys to their front doors. This can be handy when someone needs to stop by on a bathroom break!

Now I live in Little Rock, Arkansas, a city well-known for its crime. Not only do the cars have security systems, but the houses do too. Signs in the yards warn would-be intruders of the presence of alarms and guard dogs on the properties.

Robberies of Amish homes or of people driving buggies aren’t common, but they do happen. Some time ago members of an Amish religious sect broke into occupied Amish homes to cut women’s hair and men’s beards in response to a disagreement. There are also rare incidents like the Nickel Mines school shooting, yet the Amish do not live in fear. Although they do take some measures of protection to keep their loved ones safe, they know that their real shelter is God, as we read in Psalm 40:17: “As for me, since I am poor and needy, let the Lord keep me in his thoughts. You are my helper and my savior. O my God, do not delay.”

To be the object of God’s thoughts means you are always on His mind, and He will show up when you are in need. When you are in God’s thoughts, you can be confident that although the “thief” comes to destroy, God is with you.

To whom do you turn when you need a place of protection? Those who lack many of the usual means of protecting themselves depend on God more. When you don’t have a security system, it’s most important that you see God as your security guard.

Dear heavenly Father, thank You for always providing, always protecting, and always having me in Your thoughts. I long to always keep You in my thoughts as well.