Protective Reeds

“God will command his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will carry you in their arms, and you won’t hurt your feet on the stones.” Psalms 91:11-12 CEV

As the road-weary traveler approached the check-in desk, I pushed the up button on the hotel elevator. I overheard her recounting to the clerk being stuck in an Interstate closure in Virginia on I-95 for over two hours and getting lost following the detour. She was beyond exhausted and on the verge of tears. As I waited for the elevator, I expressed concern for her difficult day and learned that we had barely missed the traffic incident that caused her despair. As the elevator door closed, I lifted up thanks to God for His protection. Not just for the day’s travel mercies, but God had marked my entire week with tangible evidence of His protection of my loved ones and me. His mercies and protection were fresh on my heart.

Psalm 91 is a beautiful Psalm expressing the all-encompassing protection of God. It begins with the condition that we consciously turn to God and trust our Heavenly Father faithfully with our lives. “Whoever dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust” (Psalm 91:1-2). God will “spread his wings over you and keep you secure. His faithfulness is like a shield or a city wall” (Psalm 91:4). But what about when God’s protection doesn’t feel present in our lives? The Lord says in Genesis 28:15, “What’s more, I am with you, and I will protect you wherever you go. One day I will bring you back to this land. I will not leave you until I have finished giving you everything I have promised you.” Even if we don’t consciously feel His protection, He is always there. Consider the story of baby Moses from the book of Exodus. His mother hid him from the Egyptians for three months, and when she couldn’t hide him any longer, she put him in a basket made of papyrus coated with tar and pitch. She placed her child among the reeds along the bank of the Nile. Hiding a baby could not have been easy; babies scream and cry. How did she know that the basket would not sink into the deadliest river in the world? The Nile is home to many species of fatal predators and snakes. But God protected Moses to complete His plan for His people. Moses’s story is merely one of the many stories within the pages of the Bible illustrating God’s protection over His people. They remind us that we live, breathe, move, and rest in God and His protection.

God doesn’t promise we won’t suffer the consequences of this fallen world. But He does promise He will be with us and is our shelter, protector, and deliverer. God is in control, forever and always. Dwelling on this nature of God will bring the peace necessary to believe in and depend on His protection. How many times today, this week, this month, and this year have you experienced God’s protection? Consider the events of your day, look for God’s protection even in the smallest moments, and realize how those times keep you under the protective umbrella of His plan for your life. And that’s your Tuesday Tidbit.

The photo from this week’s travels of the beautiful rainbow is a reminder of God’s protective promises.