True Protection

The LORD protects all those who love him, but he destroys the wicked.

Psalm 145:20

THERE ARE LOTS of people in the world today who need to be protected. Children need to be protected because they lack the ability to care for themselves. The poor need to be protected because they lack the financial resources to deal head-on with the usual problems of life. Those who are marginalized need to be protected because they lack a voice with which to speak on their own behalf.

Here’s someone else who needs to be protected: you. There are wicked people in the world who would tear you apart simply because they have the means and the opportunity. There are forces in this world that can truly be called evil—forces that are especially hostile to those of us who choose to follow Christ.

For those reasons and more, all of us have a deep-seated desire to be protected. At our core, we all crave security and comfort and a bulwark against everything that would cause us harm.

That’s what’s so amazing about Psalm 145:20. It’s a promise that speaks directly to our hearts, calming our fears and soothing us with the knowledge that God is on our side. He will destroy the wicked (which means we don’t have to), and he will watch over us for all time. In fact, because we love him, we’re protected daily in ways we cannot even see. We can trust that even when he allows some trials, he protects us from many others that would do us serious harm.