The Lord himself watches over you! The Lord stands beside you as your protective shade. The sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon at night. The Lord keeps you from all harm and watches over your life. The Lord keeps watch over you as you come and go, both now and forever. [Psalm 121:5-8 (NLT)]
See, I have written your name on the palms of my hands. [Isaiah 49:16a (NLT)]
As I stood by the community pool, taking photos of the grands, I noticed that I wasn’t the only person keeping watch. Two lifeguards kept their eyes on the pool full of people. These young women probably go all summer without having to rescue someone and their main purpose is to keep rowdy children (and adults) in line. Still, it is a tremendous responsibility for a couple of teenagers. As attentive as they were to the swimmers, I wasn’t about to trust either one of them with the safety of my loved ones and my eyes remained on the little guys.
To the lifeguards, keeping watch over the swimmers is a just a job and my two grands were merely two of many children. They were just the little girl in the turquoise suit and the dark-haired toddler with the red noodle wrapped around his waist. To me, however, they have names and personalities. They are my children (one generation removed), cherished and loved. While their names aren’t written on my hand, they are in my heart! I know we live in a troubled and sin-filled world and that I can’t protect them from all harm but, loving them as I do, I’m not about to let anything bad happen to them on my watch!
Of course, the only one who truly guards my grands (or even me, for that matter) is God. Guarding us, however, is not just a job for Him as it is for those lifeguards. Because we are His children, He watches over us out of love, not duty. His love for us is greater than that of a mother for her child (or a grandma for her grands) and He will guard us with a ferocity that would put a mama bear to shame. To God, we’re not the concerned grandma at the pool, the bearded old man with a walker, the surfer dude in yellow board shorts, or the bratty little kid in the green shirt—we’re Julie, John, Brent, and Avery, His beloved children.
A fellow at church often wears a shirt with the message, “My lifeguard walks on water!” Indeed, He does.
I often find myself lost in the Bible, fascinated by this amazing book of history, poetry, passion, and wisdom. Comparing translations and reading commentaries helps me understand the context and meaning of verses. Knowing something about the specific church to whom Paul was writing, for example, allows me to better understand his directions, many of which seem peculiar in today’s world where churches don’t argue about circumcision and food isn’t offered to idols. For example, Paul wasn’t playing fashion police when giving instructions about hair length and head coverings to the church in Corinth. Although Greek women worshipped without head coverings, Jewish women had always covered their heads in worship—an uncovered head for them was a sign of loose morals. Moreover, in Corinth (the city with Aphrodite’s temple and its 1000 prostitutes) both long hair on men and short hair on women were signs of prostitution. Paul was trying to unify both Jewish and Gentile believers and prevent anyone’s appearance from interfering with their ability to be a witness for Christ. Bible study also makes old familiar verses take on deeper meaning. David’s sorrowful words of repentance in Psalm 51 are even more poignant when we know they refer to his adultery with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah. Bible study, however, is far more than an intellectual exercise; it enables us to know God as He revealed himself in Scripture and then to weave His word into our daily lives.
What makes us happy? Could it be a phone call from a good friend? Is it when we’ve made a profit in the stock market or received a large commission check? Are we pleased when our checkbook balances on the first attempt or when the accountant informs us that a large tax refund will be in the mail? Are we happy when someone sends us flowers or our child brings home a good report card? Does finding the ideal gift for our spouse’s birthday or receiving the perfect gift for ours give us happiness? Would we be happier if we could enjoy two weeks at a luxury resort or had a state-of-the-art home theatre or gourmet kitchen?
From today’s verse, you might think I’m going to say that God will never give us more than we can bear. That Christianese sentiment, however, comes from 1 Corinthians 10 and is about temptation, not difficulties and afflictions. The belief that God will never give us any burden or challenge we can’t bear puts the emphasis on us and our strength rather than where it should be—on God and His power! In 2 Corinthians, Paul wrote of being so burdened beyond his strength that he despaired of even living. Clearly, there will be times in our lives when we will be given far more than we can possibly bear by ourselves.
