God's Protection

“Where is God’s Protection?” Or maybe it would be better to ask, “How does God protect us?”

I grew up learning Bible verses about God’s love, about how He protects His children and keeps them safe. I knew God had guardian angels watching over us. I believed what I was taught from the Bible. I still do, although my belief has taken on a whole new perspective since Gerry’s death.

One of the greatest questions I’ve struggled with is the idea of God’s protection. I pray for my family to stay safe at school and work. I pray for their protection as they travel on the roads. So what happened the day Gerry died in the middle of the Pennsylvania turnpike. Did God stop protecting Gerry?

For twelve years, I privately struggled with this question. I knew God had the authority to do whatever He pleases with our lives. I knew that once a child of God, our lives are not our own. I also knew that God loves me, God loves Gerry, and God loves my family, there was never a doubt in my mind. I clung to that promise in my darkest hours when nothing else seemed to make sense.

So the question remains, “What happens when God’s children suffer and die?” Does God stop protecting them? Hebrews chapter eleven addresses the issue of faith, how some people were delivered from pain and torture, yet others died violent deaths. I believe the answer is found in verse 13 of chapter eleven when God says this: “These all died in faith…” Abel, Noah, Abraham, Moses, Joseph, and all the others listed in this chapter lived in faith and died in faith. Some died of old age, but others were tortured, even murdered.

These Old Testaments saints looked forward to the coming Christ and believed God’s promise to send His Son. We can look back on Jesus sacrificial death and resurrection and believe that God kept His promise. When a person trusts in Jesus Christ as their Savior, they take God at His Word and accept His offer of eternal life.

Jesus says in Matthew 28:20, “I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.”

God was with Gerry the day he died. He was with Gerry when the car was rolling over. He was with Gerry when he lay alone on the ground surrounded by strangers. He was with Gerry when he took his last breath here on earth. God held Gerry in His protective hand and never let him go. How do I know? Gerry asked Jesus to be his personal Savior.

Jesus promises in John 10:28 & 29: “And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand. My Father, who gave them to me, is greater than all, and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father’s hand.”

So did God protect Gerry? Yes. He promises to always be with those who put their personal faith in Christ. We will experience sickness. We will experience pain. We will one day experience death. The Bible says we can be ready.

Jesus says in John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life; no man cometh to the Father, but by me.”

And here is the essence of God’s promise for protection. Nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus… not even death because Jesus promises to take us to His home in Heaven. (Romans 8:35-39; John 14:1-3)

God’s protection is forever, no matter what happens. Maybe you’re wondering how you can be safe for all eternity. Hell is a real place. God does not want you to go there. That’s why He sent His Son to earth. He wants to protect you. He loves you.

1 – Admit to God that you are a sinner who needs to be saved from your sin that separates you from God.

2 – Believe that God sent His Son Jesus Christ into the world to die for your sins. Believe that Jesus rose again from the dead, just like He promised.

3 – Confess your need of Jesus and ask Him into your life to be your personal Savior. Believe Him when He says that He will never leave you, no matter what happens. Believe that He has forgiven you of your sin and gives you eternal life.

If you have any questions or thoughts, please email me and type in the subject line, “From Anna’s Place”. You cannot answer the question of eternal life for anyone else. It is a personal decision to accept Christ, one that will keep you safe forever. You will become a child of God.

Remember, you are in my thoughts and prayers,
In Jesus’ love,
Susan