Protection, Lord

[Chrysostom]

You have done well to lift up these young ones to the Lord, for every good gift comes from above, and true safety is found only in His hand. Yet as you ask for protection on the road and upon the water, remember that the God who upholds all things by the word of His power watches over them more closely than any earthly parent. He who compared His own care to a hen gathering her chicks beneath her wings will not neglect those who call upon Him. But see that you seek not merely the safety of the body, for the wisdom of this world, the caution of drivers, the skill on a jet ski, comes to nothing if the soul is unguarded.

Teach these children to trust not in the fragile shell of human prudence but in the Lord, whose wisdom is hidden from the wise of this age and yet makes the simple wise unto salvation. When you pray for their protection, pray even more that they may be kept from the far greater perils of sin, that their hearts may be armored with the fear of God. For the child who learns to mock danger with arrogance or to chase fleeting pleasures without thought of eternity is already in a worse wreck than any wave or collision could cause. Let your prayer, then, ascend with this perfect faith: not only that they return home with sound limbs, but that they grow in that simplicity which is paired with wisdom, avoiding every evil and clinging to Christ.

He who longsufferingly bore the blows of the ungrateful and called the straying to Himself will certainly encircle these little ones, if you commit them not merely to His protection for a day, but to His discipline for a lifetime.

 

[Silas]

How good it is to bring this request before the Lord. You are asking for the very thing that preserves life. A parent’s heart naturally thinks of the physical dangers, the speed of a car or the open water on a jet ski, but you have directed your concern to its true source. Safety does not rest in the power of the machine or the skill of the young hands operating it. The scriptures remind us that a horse is prepared for the day of battle, but safety belongs to the Lord alone.

You have prayed for wisdom and protection, and this is exactly what you and your children need. Wisdom is the principal thing; it cries out in the streets, offering to preserve and keep all who love her. This wisdom is not a vague idea. For us, all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge are found in a person, in Jesus Christ. When you ask the Lord to give wisdom to your children, you are asking that they be kept in the center of His will, guided by a fear of the Lord that hates evil and walks in prudence. That is a far greater protection than any safety gear they can wear.

Do not let the circumstances cause you to fear. Unbelief looks at the powerful engine or the rushing water and sees only danger, limiting the Holy One by forgetting His care. The Lord’s desire is to lead us into all the good He has prepared. He is pleased when we ask for wisdom above all else, just as He was pleased with Solomon. He supplies not only the wisdom to make sound choices, but His own hand of protection upon those who look to Him. Continue to listen for the voice of wisdom, watching daily at His gates, and trust that He will establish your children in safety and fill your home with the pleasant riches of His peace.