| “When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?” |
| —Psalm 118:5-6 |
How safety-conscious have you become in this age of great dread? Please let me offer one illustration:
I have a dear friend who works in a major metropolitan city. As his locale has become more and more violent, he has decided to step up the protection he provides for himself. He has obtained a concealed carry permit, so that he can have a firearm available in case he is assaulted. He also has scheduled a regular time at the shooting range, twice each week, to assure that he is well-trained in the use of his Glock handgun.
He also asked for a unique Christmas gift and his family obliged by purchasing a custom-fit bullet resistant Kevlar vest. He now wears this under his work clothes. He admits that it is a bit uncomfortable. But, based on the violence in the city where he lives, he feels the added protection this vest gives his chest and back is worth it.
He has also taken, and continues to take, Krav Maga, the Israeli Defense Forces-created self-defense system. He chose this most-difficult-to-master martial art because his research disclosed that it is the most deadly and most effective self-defense technique.
I guess you might say that my friend is ready for anything. But, of course, in saying that, you would be wrong. He can still be hit by a vehicle while crossing the street. He can succumb to a heart attack, or cancer, or some other deadly disease. He can have some object fall out of the sky and kill him. But, in his mind, he has done everything he possibly can do to prevent harm from others causing his injury or death.
As those who believe in the life-transforming power of the living Lord Jesus Christ, we Christians—or “Christ’s-ones”—have a source of protection that exceeds anything humans can devise. Our source of protection comes from the God who created all things. The Psalmist declares the following in Psalm 118:5-6:
When hard pressed, I cried to the Lord; he brought me into a spacious place. The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me?
If we find ourselves “lost in the forest of gloom and despair, of sin and destruction,” we, too, can call on the Lord and He will bring us into a spacious place—a clearing in that “forest.” He will be with us. He will take our fear away. We will recognize, with the Psalmist:
“What can mere mortals do to me?”
As we begin a new day, let’s truly trust God to protect us and keep us safe in the hollow of His mighty hand. We can move confidently into the world knowing, as the Psalmist states in Psalm 46:1:
God is our refuge, our strength, and our present help in time of trouble.
