Delivered to Protection
“I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior [deliverer]; my God is my rock in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord who is worthy of praise and he saved me from my enemies.” Psalm 18:1-3
His eyes appeared crimson and glassy as my son staggered off the bus. I called to him and asked him if he’d been crying. His response, “Mommy, I just got punched in the stomach by another kid.”
Everything around me froze. Silence was all I could offer as I noticed my heart sinking and my anger rising. It was only his 3rd day of 1st grade at a new school. It was only his 3rd day of new friends on a new bus. All of a sudden that free, convenient golden transporter became a conduit of smashing my son’s spirit in which I couldn’t protect him.
What was a mama to do? Everything in me wanted to control his every experience and protect him from any challenge. I seriously contemplated riding the bus with him every day till he was 18. But then what?
The only consolation and hope my heart had was knowing God lends his protection to us.
“I love you, Lord; you are my strength. The Lord is my rock, my fortress, and my savior [deliverer]; my God is my rock in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety. I called on the Lord who is worthy of praise and he saved me from my enemies” (Ps. 18:1-3).
As his daughters, we can rest in his protection knowing that…
- We are sustained. “I love you, Lord; you are my ” Like a Red Bull without the let down, God offers us energy and strength. He sustains us as we put one foot in front of the other, day in and day out.
- We are stabilized. “The Lord is my ” Like a house with a deep and strong foundation, he builds our life on the solid ground of his truth. When the winds come, we can know that though we might be a bit shaken, we will not topple over.
- We are sheltered. “The Lord is my fortress, my shield, my place of ” Like the Great Wall of China, God builds a protective barrier between our enemy the devil, and us. “For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places” (Eph. 6:12). Despite the schemes of our enemy, our God fortifies us, shields us, and provides a safe haven for us. How? We will explore that in the “Restore” section.
- We are saved. “The Lord is my deliverer, the power that saves ” Like Rapunzel rescued from the tower, God literally sweeps in to save us. He has paid my bills. Protected my son from getting hit by a car. Pulled me out of depression. Put together meals when we needed to eat. Placed my daughter in the healing hands of doctors. Provided a self-less, godly life-partner. The list goes on…
God not only saves our souls but he literally delivers us from so much more. As a Christian, Scripture informs us that our lives will have troubles and trials. But it also promises God’s presence and protection amidst the storms and squalls of life.
Before my son left on his 4th day of 1st grade, we prayed for God’s strength and his shelter. Then I watched him courageously climb the steps of the bus, knowing that his heavenly Father went before him and was by his side. When he came home that day he bolted off the bus. Did he experience God’s protection? He sure did.
We love you, Lord. You are our strength, our fortress, our deliverer. You are the rock upon which we stand and a shield around us. We cry out for you to rescue us from our enemies and to fortify our faith. Love, Your Daughters