Although I have an older brother, he wasn't much bigger than me for a good portion of our lives. By the time that I got to high school, I was probably as tall, or taller, than him. So, if I was in trouble or someone was going to come and beat me up, he wasn't really the person to whom I would run.
There's something to be said for having a protector, someone who will watch over you and protect you in times of trouble. But not only during times of trouble, in peacetime as well. Knowing that there is someone who has your back and who will be guarding you is encouraging and comforting.
David realized that God was that protector for him. In Psalm 139, David wrote that God hemmed him in, before and behind, and had his hand on David. David had many enemies, powerful enemies at that. King Saul, the man who he displaced as king tried to have him killed multiple times. While that caused anxiety and fear in David, David also knew that God would be protecting him, hemming him in, and guarding him all along the way.
While we may find ourselves hiding from ourselves, from others, and from God, we need to remember that as our protector, we should be hiding ourselves IN God. Even if we think we are hiding from him, he knows us and sees us no matter where we are. When we realize that there is nowhere we can hide from him and also understand that he is our protector, we can be free to find our hiding place in him.
Going deeper:
- Have you seen God as your fortress and protector? How does that change the way you live and the things you do?
- How does the knowledge that God is your protector change your fears and anxieties?
- How can your confidence in God's protection of you change what you are willing to do to follow him in obedience?
Prayer:
Father, thank you for watching over me. Thank you that you are a rock and a fortress, a stronghold and deliverer to me. Help me to rest in you and may my fears and anxieties not overtake me as I remember how you guard me. In Jesus' name, Amen
