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.
As I look out the window, I can see the cars and trucks speeding off to their various destinations. Meanwhile, I am at the gym, feverishly pumping away on the elliptical and going nowhere fast. What really annoys me is that, no matter where I put it, my Fitbit doesn’t fully credit me for my steps or distance. If I’m going to break a sweat and cover a couple of miles on that pitiless machine, I want credit for all my work! Next to me is my husband pedaling the stationary bike. Like me, he’s expending a great deal of energy to go absolutely nowhere and his Fitbit, like mine, won’t properly acknowledge his effort!
Warm summer nights at the lake mean campfires, s’mores and fireflies. As the darkness descends, bug jars appear and the children start chasing these fascinating insects. How odd that the same child who will shirk away from any insect during the day will give chase to and capture these flashing winged beetles at night. By the end of the evening, the children have collected a jarful of tiny flying stars (that will be released as soon as the little ones are tucked into bed).
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.
Devotions of the Heart 