‘For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways; they will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone. You will tread upon the lion and cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.’ Psalm 91:11-13
I wanted to write about my top 5 inspirational Bible verses for your (and my own) encouragement, but then I gave into laziness when I came home and lay on my bed watching an episode of the American sitcom, Being Mary-Jane on Netflix. I was having a bad day so felt like I deserved an hour off from using my brain too much. Two episodes later…
This is my Bible verse of the day.
With words like this plastered across my mind learned from the wall of my Primary School hall, there is little wonder I choose this as one of my forever-favourite passages in the Bible. I love the whole chapter from beginning to end, but these three verses stand out.
Protected. That’s how I feel when I read this passage. Protected and loved. I appreciate and love my God who commands his angels to guard me, to protect me and to keep me safe. Even when I feel like life is taking a turn for the worse, or when I feel down and upset, or a little moody; even when I fail, when I stumble or when I’m going through problems, I’m protected.
As a child of God, I’m protected.
And not only do I receive the protection of the Most High God; I also receive his strength and capacity for greatness – a capacity that shows itself on a regular basis, even when it seems as though I am weak and struggling and even when the only time I realise my strength is in hindsight in recognition of how far I’ve come.
The lion – the mighty king of the animal kingdom. The serpent or snake – one bite from its venomous mouth and you are dead in a matter of moments. The serpent is treacherous and a creature that the majority of people I meet would say they are immensely afraid of. And the lion? Yes, we have stories like Cecil the Lion (I imagine the poor lion (RIP) as cute, cuddly and approachable) and Simba & Nala (The Lion King), but their true nature is wild, bold and undefeated. A lion could easily rip you apart. And yet King David, in his book of psalms expresses the beauty of God’s protection, love and strength imbued within us: “You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.”
So why do we cry, fear failure, the unknown, rejection, change, death, destruction, struggles? Why do we worry about unimportant things, about money? Why do we worry at all? Why are we anxious? Better yet…
Why are we protected and strengthened?
‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.’ Psalm 91:14 NIV
I’m no preacher. I’m not ordained. But I do love, know and believe in God, my Saviour, protector and provider. I do believe that the heaven and stars and everything in this world was created by Him. And I do believe that you can find and feel God’s presence wherever you are if you seek Him. But if you are struggling with your God-connection, for a creative way to connect with God, flashback to Sedona, Devil’s Bridge, and the Arizona desert cactus fields to truly discover how small adventures can inspire mighty revelations of God’s existence and majesty.
God is good.
