(Excerpt from My Reflection in His Eyes: Seeing Yourself as God Sees You)
…. Sadly and shamefully, I have sometimes withdrawn from the Lord because of the painful question, “How could You let this happen?” Doubting God’s goodness has tripped up many a woman before us, just ask Eve. But in the midst of my times of sinful doubting, there stand testimonies of miraculous protection.
During my studies of the Holocaust I recall a story of a rabbi the Nazi soldiers tried repeatedly to kill. Each gun placed to the man’s head refused to fire! Another woman carried a story of hope through that dark time. Corrie Ten Boom saw the wretchedness of man practiced as never before yet also saw God’s hand move in her life with power.
Pieces of my testimony I have likened to the story of Daniel in the lions’ den. There were times I was in a dark and dangerous place full of fear and even pain, but in the morning, when the door opened, I emerged without even a scratch from the lions in my life! God allowed the den and lions, but spared my life from the lions’ mouth!
God’s protection is perfect, whether or not I can feel it or understand it at the moment. I wonder if there will be a sort of campfire ring storytelling in heaven when the Lord recounts all the times He was there, tenderly, faithfully, watchfully protecting us and working in our lives–yet we were unaware. While God undoubtedly protects us from a great many physical perils, He is constantly our emotional and spiritual protection. When I truly believe what He says about me, that I am His chosen daughter, that I am more than a conqueror through Him who loved me, it is then that I am protected from the disappointment of failure or the harmful words and actions of others. I can bury my pain in His truth and find the secret place of emotional security that I need.
With all the verses to choose from concerning the topic of security, these are some of my favorites. Personalize each one as you read over them. The list is a bit long, but soak them up!
God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea. Psalm 46:1-2
The Lord is with me; I will not be afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? Psalm 118:6
What, then, shall we say in response to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?Romans 8:31
The Lord is my light and my salvation — whom shall I fear? The Lord is the stronghold of my life — of whom shall I be afraid? Psalm 27:1
I remain confident of this: I will see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord; be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord.Psalm 27:13-14
Does that not speak to your heart? Be strong, sister, take courage, be secure in the fact that you will yet see the goodness of the LORD in the land of the living! From man’s criticism to man’s physical threat, I am rooted in my Light and Salvation, my Defense, and in Him I am secure.Today, how do you need to wait for the Lord and let your heart take courage?
Devotional excerpt from the Bible Study My Reflection in His Eyes: Seeing Yourself as God Sees You. For more encouraging words on this topic, you can order the study here.
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