God’s Protection
Psalm 33:1–22
Behold, the eye of the Lord is on those who fear him, on those who hope in his steadfast love. Psalm 33:18

God protects his people, foiling the plans of their enemies and turning back their enemies’ attempts to harm them.

It occurs to me, as I think about these words, that many deliverances are probably unknown to us because they are turned back before they even come within our vision. I think this is important. In our prayers we usually remember the many tangible blessings God has given to us: families, homes, health, work, friends, special things that are important just to us, and the privileges we have as citizens of a democratic nation. We also think of less personal but nevertheless tangible blessings worldwide: that the world is more or less at peace, that other peoples are currently achieving or rediscovering their freedoms, that the gospel is widely proclaimed in our day. But while we remember these things, let us not forget to thank God for the things we do not have, the things we are spared because of his faithful and effective care. We do not know what these are specifically but we can think of the categories.

Have we been spared severe sickness during the past year? We should be thankful for that. Not everyone has been. If we have been spared, we should thank God for it.

Have we been kept from serious accidents? That should be a cause of our most grateful thanksgiving.

Have we been delivered from people who would harm us at work? In our homes? On the streets? If you have been preserved from harm by such enemies, it is the Lord’s doing and you should acknowledge it.

And what about temptations? The Bible tells us that “God . . . will not let [us] be tempted beyond [our] ability” (1 Cor. 10:13). This implies that there are temptations that God turns aside before they can reach us. If he did not, we would certainly have fallen into them. That we continue on the path of discipleship and righteousness is a result of God’s care of those who are his people.

Taken from Come to the Waters by James Boice ISBN 9798887790954 used with permission from P&R Publishing, Phillipsburg NJ 08865

Scripture quotations are from the ESV (the Holy Bible English Standard Version) copyright 2001 by Crossway a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. All rights reserved.