We seek police protection from crime and the violence in our midst. We seek medical protection from health problems and fire department protection from the threat of fire. We seek protection in relationships, at work, and in play. We are constantly seeking protection, and of course that is a prudent thing to do.
But why are we reluctant at times to ask God for his protection?
There is nothing wrong with taking measures to safeguard ourselves. That was the case for me when I was searching desperately for protection during our international trade crisis with Mexico early in my career as a CEO. When the death threats began to appear (with each letter of every word cut out of a magazine and pasted on a piece of paper), I got real serious about protection. One day, while meeting with an unknown information source from Mexico, I was wearing a bulletproof vest and had a team of security guards with guns and walkie-talkies in and around our meeting place. I had protection. Everyone involved asked why I was so calm, and the answer was simple: I took precautions and then trusted God for protection.
The problem comes when we try protecting ourselves from all the exigencies of life and then become paranoid when we can’t do it.
There is no insurance policy for protection outside of God’s provision. It simply does not exist no matter how much the world proffers self-help psycho-babble and materialistic lust to feel “protected.”
Trying to protect ourselves from everything is trying to play God, and playing God is a recipe for disaster. It puts us in a risky position because it rekindles the embers of worry, fear, and doubt. It puts us at a fork in the road that leads one way to fear and worry, and the other way to trust God as our Protection Policy.
DON’T PANIC! PRAY
Instead of panic, we should pray. Instead of stopping, we should press on with God and stay the course. Nothing has changed! God’s truth and promises have not changed just because we are experiencing uncertainty and need protection.
God says stay on his road. The storms of life will not cease, but that is not the question. The question is whether we stay on God’s road or get off.
“Why, my soul, are you downcast? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” Psalm 42:11
Putting our hope in God is never easy, but he gives us the power to trust him in tough times. Eventually, our sadness turns to joy and our hearts and souls sustain us and help us withstand the sad moments that come and go on our journey.
“When your words came, I ate them; they were my joy and my heart’s delight, for I bear your name, Lord God, Almighty.” Jeremiah 15:16
Stopping fear and worry from consuming us boils down to our 100% belief that God will protect us.
That’s the only protection we need.
