“Whoever goes to the Lord for safety, whoever remains under the protection of the Almighty, can say to him, “You are my defender and protector. You are my God; in you I trust.”” Psalm 91:1-2
It is a natural response when we feel attacked to want to defend ourselves. We feel like we have to do whatever is necessary to protect our self, our character, our belonging, our sense of safety. This can provide a temporary sense of relief or power, but rarely provides long term solutions.
Physical safety is a basic need for all according to Maslow’s hierarchy of need. If we are in danger, our automatic systems work to protect us. Our bodies gear up to fight or to run to protect us from dying. It is the way God made us. Our sympathetic nervous system jumps in once the alarm is sounded that we are in danger with a goal of survival.
When we are out of immediate danger, we need to seek the Lord about what He would want for us going forward. He may direct us to avoid that situation in the future – walking down a dark alley alone in a city for a shortcut is an avoidable danger.
He may direct us to set healthy boundaries. If there is spouse or other loved one that has a tendency to be violent when drinking or under the influence, God may direct us to leave the situation when we see what is happening. The boundary is put in place when the other person is behaving in a way we don’t like but also have no control over.
God may direct us to get out of a situation. For many years people stayed in unsafe situations because of legalistic thinking based on one view of Scripture regarding marriage. It was done forgetting His call for us to live safely. We can go to Him for safety and know that He will help us do what is right in our individual situation. God knows that He is the only One that was a one size fits all solution.
When someone is trying to assassinate our character, there is a tendency to want to argue why they are wrong. We want to fight back to the person or to those who might have heard the negative story. There is a saying my auntie used to say that comes to mind “Thou does protest too much.” It is better to remain silent. Those who know you know the truth of your character. Those who are concerned will talk with you about it. Everyone else will just hear the protesting and decide there could be some truth to the allegation. Instead we allow God to be our defender and the truth will be revealed in His timing.
When someone feels rejected, like they don’t fit in or belong, the tendency is to try to fit in. When we stop being ourselves trying to belong, we stop being who God created us to be. We can not fulfill the plans and purpose that He made us when we are trying to be someone else. When we are our authentic self God will draw the people to us that belong in our journey. We belong to Him, and He will never leave us or forsake us.
Regardless of the cause, God wants to be there for us. He is our defender and protector. He just asks us to let Him be. He can not fulfill His role if we are in it. He will help us be safe and secure. He will defend the character of who He made us to be. He will help us belong with the people He has for us. We can put our trust in Him.
Prayer – Lord, I know I after try to be my own protector and defender. Time and time again You have showed me I can trust You to do this for me. Help me to just allow You to do it and trust You have me covered.
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