Psalm 91 (NLT)
1 Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
2 This I declare about the Lord: He alone is my refuge, my place of safety; he is my God, and I trust him.
3 For he will rescue you from every trap and protect you from deadly disease.
4 He will cover you with his feathers. He will shelter you with his wings.
His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
5 Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day.
6 Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday.
7 Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you.
8 Just open your eyes, and see how the wicked are punished.
9 If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
10 no evil will conquer you; no plague will come near your home.
11 For he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go.
12 They will hold you up with their hands so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
13 You will trample upon lions and cobras; you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
14 The Lord says, “I will rescue those who love me.
I will protect those who trust in my name.
15 When they call on me, I will answer; I will be with them in trouble.
I will rescue and honor them.
16 I will reward them with a long life and give them my salvation.”
Psalm 121 (NIV)
1 I lift up my eyes to the mountains where does my help come from?
2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.
3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;
4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.
5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand;
6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.
7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;
8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.
Psalm 34:19-20 (NLT)
19 The righteous person faces many troubles, but the Lord comes to the rescue each time.
20 For the Lord protects the bones of the righteous; not one of them is broken!
The words Jehovah El Elohim mean the Lord God is my Strong Protection. It also means Our Strong Creator. The words Jehovah-Roi mean My Protector. This past weekend these words became very real to me and my family. My daughter and I, had decided that it would be a great idea to take my husband out to dinner, and a movie to celebrate Father’s Day. As we were entering the theater parking lot, a gentleman driving a black SUV at what would have been a very high rate of speed for a parking lot came barreling through, and literally almost wiped us out.
My daughter saw the vehicle approaching, and quickly screamed out to alert my husband who was driving. When my husband slammed on the brakes, my cell phone flew from my hands and we literally just held our breath. It all happened so unbelievably fast that it was as though he came out of nowhere.
When the dust settled, our vehicles were within inches of each other. Trust me, had we collided this would not have been a minor fender bender, due to his rate of speed.
This near collision was so unsettling for us, that we just sat right where our vehicles almost collided in the parking lot, just to regroup. No one in our car said a word for a few seconds. It was totally quiet. The mere shock of what almost happened and how quickly it happened, was paralyzing. I have no idea why anyone would be driving that fast in a parking lot.
I am so thankful that God’s protective hand was there to keep our cars from colliding. I love the scripture in Zephaniah 3:17 that says: The Lord your God is among you; He is mighty to save. He was just that, He was among us, and He saved us, He spared us. Praise God!
Before we drove a bit further, my husband looked around and asked if we were ok. Then he took my hand and we prayed a prayer of gratitude and praise to God, for the way He protected us.
I know that we all have stories of times where the only explanation is that God’s protective hand was with us.
Things can happen so quickly, as they did for us that day. Even though we are not always prepared on a seconds notice, I am glad that we serve a God that is always aware of every single thing that would be a threat or hindrance to our existence. He is truly our Great Protector! He is our Fortress and our Shield, and I am so thankful that He is always watching over us. He protects us even when we don’t know that we are in danger.
The next time that you are feeling afraid, take a quick second to recall and reflect on some of the times that God has protected you from what would have been a very dangerous situation. Trust Him not only to provide your needs but also to protect you and all that concerns you.
He truly is Jehovah El Elohim, the Lord God is My Strong Protection!
He is Mighty to Save! Praise God!
Psalm 34:7 (NIV)
7 The angel of the Lord encamps around those who fear him,
and he delivers them.
