(First published on www. theotots.com)
Growing up in my parents’ house entailed rules and more rules. The rules became flexible as we grew older. Hate them or love them, my parents insisted that as long as we lived under their roof, then we had to follow the rules. My parents subscribed to the school of thought that good parenting necessitates some boundaries for the safety and wellbeing of everyone. I personally appreciated most of the rules but disliked the curfew one when I turned eighteen. I had to be home by 7pm …before it got dark. I liked to stretch the limits and get to the house at exactly 7.00pm or just break it by a few minutes. However, one incident changed my mind on matters curfew and highlighted to me about God’s protection.
I was coming home one July evening, around 6.55pm, aiming to be in the house by 7.00pm. As I entered my family’s property, I noticed something whitish move. It was getting dark and I could not see clearly. As I bent to cross the fence, I took longer bending in order to get a clearer look of what I had just seen. Oh my God! There was a man on the other side of the hill wearing a jacket that was probably light grey with a white shirt. The problem was he was hiding behind a few corn plants within the corn plantation. Neither was he on the path to be be clearly seen nor deep in the cornfield to be unseen. He clearly did not have good intentions. It seemed he was waiting to grab someone on the path then drag them into the cornfield. He must have realized I was looking at him as I saw him move slightly deeper into the cornfield. I was scared, should I run back?
Then quickly, I realized I had the advantage of the valley. As I got to the valley as he waited uphill, I decided to re-route. Since he could not see me in the valley, I ran Northwards while he waited in the West. That day I could have won a running race. I ran non stop for some 200 meters then turned west to get home. I was breathless by the time I got home. I never got to know who the person was but God had surely protected me and the curfew was actually there for my good. Suppose I had not seen the man? I can only imagine! God ensured I had seen him. In our everyday life, God protects us in ways we get to know and ways we never get to know.
The unseen protective hand of God is always with us.
Psalms 121 outlines to us the ways God protects (Keeps) us.
• The Lord (creator of heaven and earth) is our Keeper(vs1-2)
The Psalmists surveys the horizons and concludes that his help can only come from the Almighty God who created heaven and earth, if he could do that then there is nothing he cannot do. The Lord being a keeper implies he is a lot like a watchman who watches over us, whether we are in the safest of places or in the most dangerous parts of the world.
• The Keeper neither sleeps nor slumbers(vs3-4) His unmatched ability in protection is in His super power. All human watchmen/ security guards will need to sleep or even doze off in the line of duty. God in his omnipotence does not require sleep.
• The keeper will not allow your foot to be moved (vs 3) God will not allow us to stumble and fall or be defeated, even when we are in slippery or rugged places. As believers, we often find our selves in slippery place that test our faith to it limits, but God will not allow our faith to be tested beyond its limit. Jesus in John 17 prayed for all that will believe to be protected from the world.
• The Keeper is your shade at your right hand; will keep the sun from striking you by day and the moon by night (vs5-6).
There can be so much heat literally in some places due to the scorching sun during the day. All of us also feel a lot of the pressures of life at home or at work. At night as we retire to rest, it gets cold and we need more that our clothes to cover us, we need the bedding. We also need more than our eyes to stay safe. We rest with the faith that God will watch over us and we will wake up okay. God protects us from seen and unseen dangers, from troubles we anticipate and from the hidden traps of our enemies.
• The Keeper shall preserve you from all evil (vs 7) The evil one is always seeking whom to devour. We never know what evil lurks or seeks to defeat us but God will protect us from all evil.
• The Keeper will preserve your soul(vs7) He will preserve our soul from all hurt. The Psalmist in Psalms 23 says that “He restores my soul”. There is so much that tears into our emotional and spiritual well-being but God has restorative ability over our souls. • The keeper will preserve your going out and coming in, now and forevermore (vs 8) Gods’ protection is all encompassing, whether we are home or away, even in a foreign country, He is omnipresent. He protects us, now, today and forever. There is never, a day or a time when God’s protective hand is not with us.
Therefore, we ought to:
• Trust in his ability and power to protect us
• Pray for his protection
• Rest in the assurance of his protection over our life, our children and our family.
Betty Rotiche
About the Author: Betty Rotiche is a Kenyan citizen married to Geoffrey and the mother of three children: Jubilee, Hashanah and Ariella. She is a passionate teacher, counselor and writer. Most importantly, she loves the Lord Jesus unashamedly.
