Have you ever needed protection? I have. Who has protected you in the past? Has one of your parents? Have you ever protected someone? Maybe your spouse, your fiancée, your boyfriend or your girlfriend, your brother or your sister, a neighbor, a friend, you get the picture. Has the person who was protecting you ever failed? Have you ever failed to protect someone? I think we can all think of people who have failed to protect us. I know I can think of several people who have protected me and I had hope that I would be safe now. But I also know when I have failed to protect someone or they have failed to protect me. Do you know anyone who has never failed to protect you? I do. Let us look at what God has taught me about how our protector brings hope.
One of my favorite hymns written by Martin Luther, “A Mighty Fortress is Our God,” If you are not familiar with it or have not listened to it lately I suggest you do. It brings me hope every time. I hear it. Even the music triggers a felling of safety and hope in me. One of the passages that cause Luther to write this song was Psalms 46. “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear though the earth gives way, though the mountains be moved into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble at its swelling” Psalms 46:1-6(ESV)
My favorite passage when I need to know I am protected is Psalms 91. “He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will abide in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “My refuge and my fortress,
my God, in whom I trust.” Psalms 91:1-2 (ESV)
The one thing I have learned the hard way is that in order to get His protection is I must listen to the Holy Spirit and follow His direction. When I fail to listen and or follow then I am going to face the consequences and bad things most likely will occur. It is not easy for me to submit to the protection God wants to give to me. I want to do it myself. I hope none of you have the same problem as I do. If however you do just get back up on your feet and try to do better next time. After all God is a forgiving God as 1 John 1:9 says, “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (ESV)
I pray that you immerse yourself in the protective arms of the Almighty God of The Universe knowing the one who cares for you no matter the situation and is the only provider of true hope from Him. Understanding that Jesus is the only source of true hope. The death of Jesus Christ on the cross satisfied the penalty for my sins and yours as well. It satisfied all my sins from the past, in the present and in the future. My penalty and yours was satisfied on the cross by the death of Jesus, God’s greatest act of love and wrath, who became sin for me and you. It was also God’s greatest act of faithfulness because “God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8 (ESV) Because wisdom shows us, we need to believe in Jesus. I hope that you join me in helping others to choose Jesus.
If you have not read my previous blogs, you can find them here. You can watch a book trailer about my book. You can find my book, Hope Amid Hopelessness: Our Abba Father Provides a Way Through Mental Illness here. eBook or Audiobook versions can be found at Westbow Press or Christianbook.com at Amazon or Google.
I mentioned that I was going through a difficult time right now. If you are interested in what I am going through, you can read about it here.
