I lift up my eyes to the mountains—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The Lord watches over you—
the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
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 NIV)
It’s in our nature as human beings to desire safety and security. We seek safety in many ways—physically, financially, relationally, and emotionally. We want to know that our next steps in life are solid and will not harm us. We look for ways to ensure our decisions and our actions will provide for us what we intend to get from them.
We have all been hurt before and have experienced pain in many different ways, and we all want to avoid that kind of pain from happening again. For some of us, our defense is to formulate a plan and stick to it. For others, it’s to armor up and be on guard at all times. But the problem with those defenses is that they don’t include God. It’s easy for us to think we have what it takes to keep ourselves safe, and we certainly do have a responsibility to act with wisdom. But the source of safety is not us; it’s our Father in heaven who watches over us.
God sees what we cannot, and he desires to do good in our lives. He is the safest place for us always. Through a relationship with him, we are given more security than we could find in any relationship, any amount of money in the bank, or the most detailed plan. The God of heaven who created all things is protecting you now and always, even as challenges come your way. Your life is safe with him.
Prayer
Lord, thank you for being the safest place for me always. I deeply desire to know I’m on solid ground, protected from what harms me. Forgive me for the ways in which I try to protect myself, as if I can do a better job than you can. Please give me wisdom to see where I’ve built up walls unnecessarily, and maybe even shut myself off from what you intend for me. Help me to act out of responsibility rather than fear. Remind me of the many ways you have provided for me. I want to trust you more today.
