Been Bumped Recently?

The LORD will go before you, the God of Israel will be your rear guard.

Isaiah 52:12, NIV

I am so glad that God is my rear guard. I need one! Have you ever gently backed out of your driveway while trying to put on your lipstick? It shouldn’t be that hard, right? Fair warning: you’re asking for trouble. I know from experience! That last-minute beauty application has been such a routine for me for so long, I didn’t give it a second thought. That is, until I put my car in reverse and bumped into my neighbor’s car, forgetting it was back there—somewhere. Ugh! The gentle impact not only took me by surprise, it also taught me not to apply lipstick while in motion. I was relieved that our daughter, Kali, who was a teenager at the time, wasn’t in the car to witness my distracted driving.

Thankfully, there were no big dents on either car. After my sweet neighbor assured me that all was well, I breathed a sigh of relief. I thanked God for car bumpers that take the brunt of a fender bender and was grateful mine did its job well. Bumpers act as front and rear guards, protecting us as well as the other car. My husband, Mark, has taken it one step further with an added safety feature on his car—it beeps loudly when there is any object close behind him.

As much as we rely on car manufacturers to design safer vehicles, I take greater comfort in the promise that “the LORD keeps watch over [me] as [I] come and go, both now and forever” (Psalm 121:8). He never takes His eyes off us. He is our rear guard, our bumper, to protect us as we hit the bumps of life.

Celebrate today if you are in Christ and the Lord is your protection on all sides, now and forever. Thank Him specifically for one protection He provides for you today.