December 15 – By The Hand of God

“ For I was ashamed to ask the king for a band of soldiers and horsemen to protect us against the enemy on our way, since we had told the king, “The hand of our God is for good on all who seek him, and the power of his wrath is against all who forsake him.”” -  Ezra 8:22 (ESV)

Before the Southern Kingdom of Judah was conquered and taken captive, then exiled (for the most part) to Babylon and other Chaldean cities, Jeremiah had delivered God’s prophecy that it would happen. Jeremiah also delivered a prophecy  (Jeremiah 24:6) from God that He would bring them back to the land. Ezra was a scribe. Scribes were the theologians who studied the Law of Moses and was an authority of the same. When Cyrus became king of Persia, God motivates Cyrus to send exiled Jews back to Jerusalem. This happens in stages and it is action that fulfills God’s prophecy through Jeremiah. “in order to fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, (Ezra 1:1)”  The journey to Jerusalem was be long and dangerous. Thieves who robbed for survival posed a threat to travelers. Caravans traveled with protection for safety. Ezra and the people had professed their trust in God for protection. Ezra did not want to confuse the king regarding their trust in God’s so they entreated God for safety with a prayerful fast. God honored their prayer of faith and gave His protection. God promises and God delivers on his promises.

 

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December 9 – Keeping Track

“The Lord will protect you from all evil; He will keep your soul. The Lord will guard your going out and your coming in From this time forth and forever.” - Psalm 121:7-8 (NASB)

It is good to remember often how much our God is involved in our lives. Our verse today reminds us of this truth. We sometimes are tempted to think that we come and go all on our own. And we may think that we are on the go so much that no one else could really keep track of all our coming and goings. And then for God to keep track of all His children in this world, is this really possible? Yes it is and that is what this verse says. It includes all God's children all around the world and my friend, it includes each of us. Our God is watching over each of our lives and each of our movements and relationships. Whatever we are involved in and whatever our decisions and direction, God knows just were we are. That's a promise of God. While this may seem to some to have a temporal role at first glance, there are indications that it looks beyond to eternal life for he protects us from all evil from now even until forever.

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February 12 – Worried About Afflictions

“The righteous person may have many troubles, but the Lord delivers him from them all; he protects all his bones, not one of them will be broken.”  -  Psalm 34:19 (NASB)

Have you ever been so troubled or sorrowful that you leaned on the well know spiritual by Mahalia Jackson? “Nobody knows the trouble I've seen Nobody knows but He knows my sorrow. … Nobody knows the trouble I've seen Well, no, nobody knows but Jesus.”   Perhaps, or not, we know these words well but we certainly have a promise today from a song by David which should give us comfort when we are deep in trouble.  As we experience many troubles, we are promised delivery from them all by the Lord.  And if the trouble threatens our bodies, we can know that the Lord will protect us. Protection of all our bones is a means of saying He keeps our physical well-being.  Our bones are the structure of our bodies and our bodies might well be threatened by troubles from time to time.  Seeking God when we need His help will bring us needed deliverance from afflictions of many kind.  Every verse in this Psalm underscores how God cares for His own when the take refuge in Him. 

Next: Worrying about suffering for Jesus

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March 11 – Protect Us from Harm

“The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.” Psalm 121:7-8 (NIV)

It is a blessing and a gift from God that he has given to us the book of Psalms. In them we find many promises to help us in our lives each day. Today’s selection tells us that the Lord will watch over us and keep an eye on our movements and activities. It means of course that He sees what we are doing. God knows all that is going on in this world but our promise means more than that. When God watches over us He is also protecting us. He is keeping us from harm. Yes, my friend, if you are a child of God, He will protect you from harm – this is especially critical in a time when many more are and becoming hostile toward those who believe in Jesus Christ. As we look to Him for guidance He will lead us in the right way as we moved around in life. This is a promised from the One who is faithful. 

January 19

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name. He will call on me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him” Psalm 91:14-15 (NIV)

We like to be reminded that God loves us and that is an important part of our lives each day. It is also important that we return His love by loving Him with all our hearts. You perhaps noticed in our verse today how God responds to our love for Him. Yes, God does know when we love Him and He watches us when we need His help. He says that He will be with us in trouble – he will not leave us. He will rescue us, He will deliver us. And if we love Him He will answer our prayers every time. Is it not a wonderful comfort to know that God is that intimate with us that he knows what is in our hearts and what we need?

January 17

“You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.” Psalm 32:7 (NIV)

The psalmist in this verse is thanking God for protecting him from trouble and mentions the method that God uses to protect him. He thanks God for surrounding him with songs of deliverance. But we might ask, how can songs protect anyone from trouble? The truth, of course, is that when we remember how God has delivered us from trouble in the past we are reminded to trust Him for any problem we face today. Praising God for deliverance in the past strengthens our faith and calls on God to help us again. He hears the songs of deliverance as expressions of our faith and he responds again. So we say with the psalmist what he said in our verse – God is our hiding place and our protection from trouble and we can sing about it.

October 14

“Because he loves me,” says the Lord, “I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.” Psalm 91:14 (NIV)

Our God is a God of love. He loves His own and He appreciates their love. Isn’t it amazing to realize how much the Lord knows about us? He knows what we are doing. He hears what we say. But He also knows that we think and how we feel. This verse reminds us that God knows those who really love Him. And He responds to our love in very special ways. Of course love is a part of the nature of our God. We are told that God is love! So it is not surprising that He notices very quickly how we respond to His love, nor that He responds to ours.

August 10

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen you and protect you from the evil one.”  2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV)

It is wonderful to know that our God is aware of our needs. I am reminded of what our Lord Jesus said to His disciple, Peter, that last night before the cross. Jesus knew that Peter would be tempted to deny Him. He told Peter that He had already prayed for him. The same is true with us today. He knows how our faith will be tested. And He will strengthen us to endure testing and protect us and bring us through. God has committed Himself to keep us and we can depend on Him.