“But the Lord is faithful, who will establish you and guard you from the evil one.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3
I heard a preacher tell a story about what happened to him one day. He started by saying that even though his parents raised him in the church, he went through a brief period when he wanted to see what was out there and how the other half lived.
One day, he decided to go to a club with some colleagues. They walked in, took their seats, and everyone ordered their drinks. He didn't, for it would make him sick, but he was there with the loud music, the dancing, the drinking, and what seemed to be a good time for just about everyone in the club. Suddenly, his phone rang. He noticed it was a friend calling. He ignored the call since he wouldn't be able to hear with the music being so loud. After a few minutes, the phone rang again and again he ignored it. By this time, some strange characters had entered the club, looking all big and bad. One more time, his phone rang again. He excused himself to go outside to answer the phone. When he got outside, he realized the friend was dialing him by error, what is known as "butt dialing." When he went back inside, he heard the commotion going on. The strange characters who had entered the club had issues with one of his colleagues and decided to resolve it by throwing acid at him. The very place where the preacher had been sitting was scorched. He was amazed at how God had protected him with that persistent phone call.
How many times has God protected you and you weren't even aware? Of all the accidents on a given day, and none have shown up at your doorstep, isn't that God's protection? When you turn on the news and hear of all the horrible things that occurred in some familiar places, God has been faithful and preserved you in the times when you were there.
He says in His word found in Psalm 121:5-8 (KJV): “The LORD is thy keeper: The LORD is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy soul. The LORD shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore”.
God's protection. We have so much to give God thanks for. We might not know how God is protecting us or how many times He has protected us, but we can see what He has done for us each and every day. I love the song that says,
"Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your blessings, see what God hath done;
Count your blessings, name them one by one;
Count your many blessings, see what God hath done.”1
Call to Action
When your family is healthy, give God thanks. When your family is together, give God thanks. When you have enough to meet your basic needs, give God thanks. Do not take it for granted that these things are owed to you, but make it a habit to praise God for all He has done, is doing, and will do.
Unless otherwise noted, all scripture taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
- Oatman, Johnson Jr. “Count Your Blessings”. Hymnary.org. https://hymnary.org/text/when_upon_lifes_billows_you_are_tempest. January 9, 2024.
