Ps 119:93 I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life. NIV
Do you know where your safety is found? Many people live without the conscious awareness of God’s merciful protection that rests over their lives and their families. God is at work constantly to deliver us from destruction and harm and yet there are so many harmful things that touch our lives that could have been prevented if we were living in a constant attention to the word of the Lord. Throughout the pages of scripture promise after promise declares God’s guidance and protective hand to deliver us from evil and harm. From prayers of protection to counsel about how we live our lives the way of the Lord directs the steps of those who are willing to preserve their lives from evil.
Jesus himself instructs the church in the foundational prayer of protection that so many Christians can quote from memory but so seldom apply to their lives as more than a ritual. In Matt 6:13 Jesus taught us to pray over ourselves “lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” KJV Are you praying for divine direction AND protection in your life? Psalm 91 is also rich in its assurance of divine protection for those who will learn to abide in God’s presence. This comforting truth is encapsulated in verses 9-11 which counsel us; “If you make the Most High your dwelling — even the LORD, who is my refuge — 10 then no harm will befall you, no disaster will come near your tent. 11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;” NIV The word of God is overflowing with promise of protection and safety for those who will search out the promises it holds within.
Not only the promises themselves contain the path of protection, the counsels of wisdom that the word of God contains provide values system and way of life that places us firmly on solid ground for a life that is pleasing to God. He has provided wisdom for how to live that is there within the word to direct our decisions and shape our desires. The Psalmist has captured this truth in a very concise way in Psalm 119:93 as he affirms his heart commitment before the Lord by saying “I will never forget your precepts, for by them you have preserved my life.” Oh, that we also might learn that the path to life is found only in the word of the Lord. Choose to hide it in your heart today and as you live by its counsel you will see the fruit of its wisdom and guidance growing consistently in your life.
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