"22Then Jesus said to his disciples: 'Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. 23Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. 24Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds! 25Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 26Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest? 27Consider how the lilies grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you, not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 28If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today, and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, how much more will he clothe you, O you of little faith!'" -- Luke 12:22-28
Michael W. Smith has a song entitled, "I Will Be Here For You", which was one of the few Christian Contemporary songs that was also a pop hit. One of the verses says, Oh there’s someone you can trust/I will be your shelter/I’ll give you my shoulder/Just reach out for my love/Reach out for my love/Call my name and my heart will hear/I will be there, there’s nothing to fear. When my family and I moved to Mississippi, we were plagued by bad events, but God was with us. There were times where I literally got on my knees and cried out, “God help me please! I need you now, more than ever!” And he did. He was our shelter, our shoulder, and with Him there really was nothing to fear. Despite the threat of homelessness, hunger, sickness, tragedy, and bankruptcy, there really was nothing to fear. The Lord carried us through each and every thing. He provided for us, healed us, and protected us. The Lord has promised to take care of us. He will meet all our needs. When we need Him, all we need to do is call out to Him, and He will shelter us, be our place of refuge, and carry us through our problems.
Our Protector"2 The LORD is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer;Granted, few of us today face the same kind of problems David did. Few of us are surrounded by enemy armies or have our kings actively hunting us to take our life. However, we all face problems that seem insurmountable. All of us face dangers each and every day, most of which, we are not even aware of, all of which God protects from.
my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge.
He is my shield and the horn.
3 I call to the LORD , who is worthy of praise,
and I am saved from my enemies.
4 The cords of death entangled me;
the torrents of destruction overwhelmed me.
5 The cords of the grave coiled around me;
the snares of death confronted me.
6 In my distress I called to the LORD ;
I cried to my God for help.
From his temple he heard my voice;
my cry came before him, into his ears.
16 He reached down from on high and took hold of me;
he drew me out of deep waters.
17 He rescued me from my powerful enemy,
from my foes, who were too strong for me.
18 They confronted me in the day of my disaster,
but the LORD was my support.
19 He brought me out into a spacious place;
he rescued me because he delighted in me.
-- Psalm 18:2-6,16-19
" 13 Be pleased, O LORD , to save me;
O LORD , come quickly to help me.
14 May all who seek to take my life
be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
be turned back in disgrace.
15 May those who say to me, "Aha! Aha!"
be appalled at their own shame.
16 But may all who seek you
rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who love your salvation always say,
"The LORD be exalted!"
17 Yet I am poor and needy;
may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
O my God, do not delay.
-- Psalm 40:13-17
One week after we moved to Mississippi, my wife was rear-ended by a Mack truck. Well, she was actually rear-ended by a pickup truck, which was rear-ended by a Mack truck. Either way, the trunk of our little Corolla became one and the same with the back seat. Stacee walked away from the accident completely unhurt. She was quite shaken from the ordeal, she was but not hurt. The Lord protected Stacee from harm. It was only because He was watching over her that she came away unharmed.
The Lord was with my wife and protected her from physical harm. He promises to do so for all who are His:15 The eyes of the LORD are on the righteousAs Christians, we will face more than just physical harm, though. The world, it hates us. Our enemy, the devil, and his dark forces are out to destroy us:
and his ears are attentive to their cry;
16 the face of the LORD is against those who do evil,
to cut off the memory of them from the earth.
17 The righteous cry out, and the LORD hears them;
he delivers them from all their troubles.
18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted
and saves those who are crushed in spirit.
19 A righteous man may have many troubles,
but the LORD delivers him from them all;
20 he protects all his bones,
not one of them will be broken.
-- Psalm 34:20
"18If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first. 19If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own. As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world. That is why the world hates you." -- John 15:18-19 "11Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." -- Ephesians 6:11-12 " 8Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. 9Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings." -- 1 Peter 5:8-9Just as our Father promises to protect us from physical harm, He promises to protect us from the world and the devil, and the harm they can do to us:
"For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." -- 2 Chronicles 16:9a "7 He holds victory in store for the upright, he is a shield to those whose walk is blameless, 8 for he guards the course of the just and protects the way of his faithful ones." -- Proverbs 2:7-8 "16At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them. 17But the Lord stood at my side and gave me strength, so that through me the message might be fully proclaimed and all the Gentiles might hear it. And I was delivered from the lion's mouth. 18The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to his heavenly kingdom. To him be glory for ever and ever. Amen." -- 2 Timothy 4:16-18The Lord promises to protect us from physical harm, my wife is living proof that God keeps His promises in that respect. He also promises to protect us from spiritual harm. Satan, and his kingdom, the world, try to destroy us, but they will fail. With the Lord as our God, we have nothing to fear, physically or spiritually, "For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. They will be protected forever," (Psalm 37:28).
"12I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13I can do everything through him who gives me strength. 14Yet it was good of you to share in my troubles. 15Moreover, as you Philippians know, in the early days of your acquaintance with the gospel, when I set out from Macedonia, not one church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, except you only; 16for even when I was in Thessalonica, you sent me aid again and again when I was in need. 17Not that I am looking for a gift, but I am looking for what may be credited to your account. 18I have received full payment and even more; I am amply supplied, now that I have received from Epaphroditus the gifts you sent. They are a fragrant offering, an acceptable sacrifice, pleasing to God." -- Philippians 4:12-18In the same way, God promises to provide for us as well. He does not want us to worry, but to give our worries and our cares to Him:
" 25Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life? 28And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them." -- Matthew 6:25-32This is another promise where my family and I are living proof that God is both faithful and true to His Word. A few weeks after my wife's car accident, we had another problem. One of a different sort, but just as grave. My paycheck from Uncle Sam did not post to my account. On the 1st and 15th of every month, the Navy deposited my paycheck directly into my account, but on this particular 1st, nothing posted. I immediately contacted my ship, and after much back and forth, it was determined that I had taken too much terminal leave. The admin office did not put through leave I had taken in January, when the ship returned from deployment, until after I left the ship in July. As I did not have enough leave, and I was detached from my command, I did not get paid.
Having just moved across the country, and having had previous pay problems with the navy, we had no money, no savings, and lots of bills. I had no idea how I was going to pay the rent in our new apartment or buy food for my family. Not knowing what do to, I did the only thing I could do. I cried out to God and asked Him for help. He both heard and answered my prayer. While lamenting the story about the ship to a friend he asked me how much I was short. I did not give him a number at first (it was high), but he persisted and when I gave him the amount he told me to stop by and pick up a check. Just like that, no strings, nothing, just a simple quick loan to get my family and I through until I started getting paid. At first I politely declined, it was way to much to lend me, but he insisted and I knew I could not let my pride get in the way, so I accepted and, by God's providence we had just what we needed to pay rent, buy food and pay outstanding bills until I started working.
The Lord provided for His apostles, the Lord provided for my family and I, the Lord will provide for you as well. There is no issue or problem that is too big for God. Trust me on this, I was more than overwhelmed and no sooner was the word "help" out of my mouth when that friend called and offered it. Try it for yourself and see. If you are having problems or in need, "cast all your anxiety on [the Lord] because he cares for you" (1 Peter 5:7).This is yet another promise where I am living proof of God's faithfulness. Just over four years ago, I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma, a rare form of skin cancer. I was classified as stage II, which means there is a chance of it spreading (metastasizing), into your lymph nodes and blood streams to other parts of the body. Usually, a melanoma will metasticize in 2-3 years. I had mine for 4-5 years. This made the doctor very concerned, and after removing the melanoma, he ordered all sorts of tests. On top of that, I had to repeat this tests every six months for the first year, and then yearly for the next four (years). Well, all the tests came back negative. In spite of the depth of the cancer and the length of time, it spread absolutely nowhere. Not only that, but all of the follow up exams and tests came back negative as well. Once the melanoma itself was removed, I was completely (well, the doctor said 95%, I say completely) cured. Even the scar, which for years was a big, angry, red scar, has toned down quite a bit. While not completely gone, it is not nearly as noticible as it was.
The Lord is our Healer, whether it be something as big as cancer, or something as common as a cold. He promises to restore our health and keep us healthy. This does not mean that Christians will live in a permanent state of good health , but it does mean that God will help us and heal us when we need it. When we do suffer bad health, He will relieve our suffering and heal us.
This promise also applies to our spiritual health. Jesus alluded to such while eating at the house of Levi. The Pharisees criticized Him for associated with tax collectors and sinners. "On hearing this, Jesus said to them, 'It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners'" (Mark 2:17). By nature, we corrupt, defiled, diseased:
"5Why should you be beaten anymore? Why do you persist in rebellion? Your whole head is injured, your whole heart afflicted. 6From the sole of your foot to the top of your head there is no soundness- only wounds and welts and open sores, not cleansed or bandaged or soothed with oil." -- Isaiah 1:5-6We are all sick people, but God heals us. He alone can change our hearts, and make us well:"But you have behaved more wickedly than your fathers. See how each of you is following the stubbornness of his evil heart instead of obeying me." -- Jeremiah 16:12
" 20He went on: 'What comes out of a man is what makes him 'unclean.' 21For from within, out of men's hearts, come evil thoughts, sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, 22greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. 23All these evils come from inside and make a man 'unclean.'" -- Mark 7:20-23
"He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds" -- Psalm 147:3The Lord is our healer. Be it physical, or spiritual, our Father has promised to bring us healing. No sickness, no ailment is to great or to small for our God."4Surely he took up our infirmities and carried our sorrows, yet we considered him stricken by God, smitten by him, and afflicted. 5But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was upon him, and by his wounds we are healed." -- Isaiah 53:4-5
"18I have seen his ways, but I will heal him; I will guide him and restore comfort to him, 19creating praise on the lips of the mourners in Israel. Peace, peace, to those far and near, says the LORD. And I will heal them." -- Isaiah 57:18-19
"I will be here for you". A very popular song, and also one that speaks true about our Father. He plays many roles, including protector, provider, and healer. He has promised to be all this and more to those who are His. My family and I are living proof that God is all of these. Our circumstances have tested and tried God and His promises, and found them to be true. The Lord is faithful to His Word, so whatever your need, be it protection, providence, or healing, whatever it is, give it up to our Father. There is absolutely nothing He cannot handle. It does not matter what your problem is, He will solve it. It does not matter if you cannot carry yourself, He will carry you. It does not matter what ails you, He will heal you. It does not matter what you lack, He will provide for you. It does not matter what it is, bring it before God, "and my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)