God Our Protector 

Fifth part of a Series 

“But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and protect you from the evil one.”
2 Thessalonians 3:3 (NIV) 

Parents provide protection for their children.  They hold their hand across the road.  They keep them away from fires.  They teach them not to go with strangers.  Parents help their children avoid situations which could lead to them getting hurt.  And God, our perfect parent, is the same with us.  In fact, He is far more able to protect us even than our human parents, because He knows everything that can harm us and sees dangers and snares we are simply not aware of.

In his famous passage about love in I Corinthians 13:7, the Apostle Paul wrote that love “always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”  These are characteristics of perfect love, but of course God Himself is love (I John 4:8), and therefore these are all characteristics of our loving Heavenly Father too.

Many times perhaps we are protected from situations we are not even aware of – an unseen pickpocket thinks twice before going for our bag or wallet; or we miss a train or plane which will suffer a violent attack; or we narrowly avoid a road accident.  Of course it doesn’t mean we will always be protected from every physical disaster and never suffer any harm – we still live in a fallen world and are subject to trials and tribulations and time and chance, which God allows and uses to strengthen us.  What it does mean though is that in the long-term spiritual view God always has our best interests at heart.  He will never leave us and through the Holy Spirit will enable us to bear whatever trial comes along, even the worst that ungodly people and the evil one can throw at us.  I Corinthians 10:13 reassures us that he will not let us be tested beyond what we can bear and will provide a way out or give us the strength to endure our trials.  Remember John 10:29—no one can snatch us out of His hand.

So we can join with the words of David to God in Psalm 32:7, singing, “You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance.”

Prayer
Almighty God, thank you so much that as a loving Father you promise to protect us.  Please help us to trust in your strength and rest in your protection in whatever circumstances we find ourselves, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen 

Study by Simon Williams

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About the Author:
Simon Williams is active in the Cambridge Congregation of the Worldwide Church of God UK.

Local Congregation:
Worldwide Church of God Cambridge
Comberton Village Hall
Green End
Comberton
CAMBRIDGE
CB23 7DY

Meeting time:
Saturday 2:00 pm

Local Congregational Contact:
Bill Lee
Email:  cambridge@wcg.org.uk