Protection

[Chrysostom]

You ask for extra strong protection, yet consider what the Scripture teaches us about the nature of true safety. Do we not see that He does not promise deliverance from death, but permits it, granting them more than if He had not allowed them to suffer? Because deliverance from death is not near so great as persuading men to despise death. You seek a breakthrough, but understand that He often lengthens out our supplication and permits a temptation to come upon us, that we may continually flee for refuge unto Him, and where we have fled for refuge, may there abide. This is the manner of an affectionate father, who uses threats not to bring them upon us, but to draw us unto Himself.

Do not be angry, then, if your request seems deferred. It is not at all His wish to defer giving, but by such delay He is contriving for you to persevere. For if we were alike in temptations and at ease, there would have been no need of temptations. The very thing you see as a lack of protection is often the workshop of your breakthrough, planting miracles like a stronghold in the heart of the enemy's country. Remember those of old who were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection. Why, when it was open to them to live, did they not choose it? They were looking for a better life. This is the true breakthrough.

Therefore, when you pray and do not see the answer, put a curb upon your reasonings. Do not transgress the bounds assigned to your knowledge. The Lord is a stronghold of them that fear Him. True protection is not the absence of trials, but the fortress of virtue, where a man is not conscious of any wickedness and trembles at nothing. This is the life that places us in safety, while vice is full of danger. Seek this protection; do praiseworthy actions, yet not for the sake of human praise, but to dwell securely in His covenant. Pray for this, and you will find the breakthrough of a soul set above all earthly dangers, already tasting the immortality to come.

 

[Silas]

You are crying out for strong protection and a breakthrough, and that is a cry that resonates deeply in the heart of God. Long before you feel the pressure, the Lord lays a foundation that can bear the weight. Think of how a faith forged early, grounded in the promises of God, becomes a shelter later. You may be in a season where the winds are fierce, but remember: the God who delivered from the lion’s den is your God too. He is with you, and He holds you secure. That certainty is a strength nothing can erode.

When God’s people faced bondage in Egypt, pharaoh’s heart was made strong in its opposition. God stiffened his resolve not to let them go, not to frustrate His purpose, but to show the greatness of His power in the deliverance. With a strong hand, pharaoh would not only release them but drive them out. The heaviest resistance often comes just before the mightiest rescue. So do not lose heart when the obstacle seems immovable; the strong hand of the Lord is at work to bring you out.

The only place of true safety, and the only hope of breakthrough, lies in the blood. That night in Egypt, the blood on the doorposts was the seal of protection, when the destroyer passed through, those inside the marked houses were spared. No other method, no human effort, could shield them. That blood was a token, a step of faith. Today, Jesus Christ is our Passover Lamb. He took the bread and the cup and said, “This is my body broken for you; this cup is a new covenant.” Through His shed blood, we are delivered from a far greater bondage than Egypt: the bondage of sin and death. In Him, you are safe from the judgment that comes against all that is against God. Abide in Him. Let His words abide in you. A branch that does not remain in the vine withers, but the one who stays connected knows the life that surges through it.

This is not a distant story. The song of deliverance that Moses sang by the Red Sea will one day merge with the song of the Lamb, as all of God’s people celebrate eternal rescue. The strong east wind that blew all night and turned the sea into dry land was the blast of His nostrils, whether through natural means or directly, God made a way. And when the enemy closed in behind, the same waters that opened for the redeemed crashed down upon the pursuers. He makes a path where there seems to be none, and the breakthrough you need may come in a way that leaves no doubt who did it.

You asked for extra strong protection. Keep your eyes on Jesus. Remember that your deepest safety is not the absence of trouble but the presence of the One who has already overcome. He is making you strong in the position you have taken: trusting in Him. That resolve, that grip on His promise, is itself a gift He provides so that you will stand. And when the deliverance comes, whether in a dramatic parting of the sea or in the quiet strength to endure, your mouth will be filled with praise. There will be a celebration, a deep joy that no onlooker can dismiss as merely emotionalism, because it rises from the solid rock of God’s faithful power.

Do not let the weight of small, non-essentials crowd out what God is doing. The burden can become so heavy that you miss the essentials of simply abiding in Him. Fix your hope squarely on the blood of Christ, your Passover. That is your protection. That is the door into every breakthrough you need. He will bring you out with a strong hand, and you will look back and know that the Lord fought for you.