Promised Protection

Promised Protection

If you make the Most High your dwelling—even the LORD, who is my refuge—then no harm will befall you.

Psalm 91:9-10

IN WORD The sheltering protection of God is a glorious promise, if we can accept it. The problem is that we know people who have presumably been faithful and then have suffered disaster. Following God, from our observation, doesn’t necessarily lead to a pain-free life.

But a pain-free life isn’t the subject of this psalm. Safety is. And our hang-ups with it come with the difficulty of defining safety. On the one hand, we know it doesn’t mean that we will never have difficulties, even painful ones. On the other hand, this promise must mean something. Surely it’s not just a spiritual promise that does our bodies no earthly good. God wouldn’t pull a bait and switch on us like that, would He?

No, He wouldn’t. He is faithful and true to His Word. He means what He says, and He says it clearly enough for us to understand. What God promises here is that we can walk through this life with a guarantee. If we will trust Him as our Refuge, we can know that we will never experience any catastrophe that is devoid of redemptive purpose. If we have believed in His salvation and trusted in His provision, we will never know the ultimate disaster of eternal death. And in our short lives on this earth, we will never see a trial or difficulty that is not under His sovereign, permissive hand that specifically ordains our steps and redeems our problems. If “harm” falls, we can rest assured: It isn’t ultimately disastrous, and it didn’t slip in under God’s radar. He has a plan.

IN DEED That may be of little comfort to those who are struggling with life’s difficulties right now, but in the grand scheme of things, it’s a huge relief. Like Paul’s, our path may be rocky, but it still leads us where we need to go. Like the prophets, our days may be painful, but we are still being conformed to the character of God. Our enemies may threaten, but they have no power over us. Why? Because we have been bought by God. Nothing—not one single thing—can threaten our security within His plan.

We sleep in peace in the arms of God, when we yield ourselves up to His providence.

—FRANÇOIS FÉNELON