“For He will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways. On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone. You will tread on the lion and the adder; the young lion and the serpent you will trample underfoot. Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My Name.” Psalm 91:11-14
Devotional Thought For The Day
As Jesus made clear when the devil quoted this psalm to Him in the great temptation in the wilderness, this passage does not give us permission to “test” God by wantonness or irresponsibility [Matt. 4:6,7]. The same applies not only to angels bearing us up and keeping us from stumbling, but also in regard to flirting with danger – whether lions, serpents, other natural perils, or the dangers posed to us by the threats and temptations of other human beings. We are still warned to resist the devil and to flee from him, and to take care to protect ourselves from false prophets and the luring temptations that come to us from the world and from within our own sinful hearts. So, even with the comfort that comes from these promises of God we must take care to guard ourselves, especially our hearts and minds, for His protection comes amidst many pressing dangers. We ought not expose ourselves or increase our vulnerabilities to evil or become overconfident and vain in trusting ourselves. Pride goes before the fall.
At the same time, it is immeasurably comforting to know that when lions and serpents come prowling around the Lord has promised to protect us, and that when traipsing through our daily lives the angels of God have our back, protecting us from all of the unseen snags and stumbling-blocks in life, and that even when we are “tripped-up” they will be there to catch us or at least soften our landing. Without such care and protection from the Lord, we would surely be destroyed quickly by the forces of evil – the devil [who is a liar and murderer from the beginning] and all of his minions, both his invisible ones [the demons] and his human allies [the unbelieving and incorrigibly evil]. So we are able to take up our duties and responsibilities without undue fear and anxiety, to live lives of love, care, and decency with courage and confidence, knowing that neither man nor demon can do us any lasting harm. We are privileged to take on all attacks, and even suffer persecution, as members of God’s team, His family, honored to bear the harm aimed at Him, certain of the final outcome – His victory and our own.
The “cause” of this is important to keep in mind: “Because he holds fast to Me in love, I will deliver him; I will protect him, because he knows My Name.” This is all “relational” and all about “faith” and “love” for God. The source of all genuine faith and all love for God is His wondrous love for us in Christ Jesus – the great gift of gracious forgiveness, mercy, cleansing, salvation, and eternal life that is ours because of Christ’s suffering and death on the cross and His glorious resurrection victory. We hold fast to Him in love because He has grasped us with His all-powerful love. Knowing this is “knowing His Name.” Knowing that He is delivering and protecting us from all harm and danger, all temptations and evil, is knowing Him, knowing His Name – and if we “know” these things by faith we will surely hold fast to Him in love! It is a wonderful thing that God has done for us in Christ Jesus, and a wonderful thing that He continues to work within us through His gift of faith!
Let us remember that great faith is never exercised in the absence of trials, troubles, and dangers, but always in the midst of them. Reread Hebrews 11 and consider the lives of those great heroes of faith – the challenges that confronted them, their failures and falls, and God’s constant care for them, His forgiveness, His protection, and His preserving them in faith. Then consider that it is no different for us today – as God continues faithfully to fulfill all of His promises to His people of faith. This is no cause for presumption or foolishness – but it is cause for comfort, courage, and confidence as we hold fast to God in love and devote ourselves to the duties He has given us.
Prayer For The Day
Dear Lord Jesus, how greatly You have blessed us with gifts of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal life. How greatly You have blessed us with promises of protection and deliverance. What great blessedness You have granted us by bringing us to a true and genuine faith – grasping our hearts and minds with Your own powerful love. Preserve us from all temptations and grant us constancy in faith and love for You – now and forever. Amen.