Kept safe

Spurgeon begins his devotional reading for this morning with, “In some sense the path to heaven is very safe, but in other respects there is no road so dangerous.”

Most Christians speak of their Christian walk as quiet and peaceful. Some missionaries tell about the other end of the scale. Whatever our lot may be, the Lord makes the same promises to all and keeps us.

Now to him who is able to keep you from stumbling and to present you blameless before the presence of his glory with great joy, to the only God, our Savior, through Jesus Christ our Lord, be glory, majesty, dominion, and authority, before all time and now and forever. Amen. (Jude 24–25)

Much like the traditional marriage vows, God says that through sickness or health, trials or ease, He will never leave or forsake His people. We are His and He will keep us that way.

But there are dangers. Spurgeon talks about one false step, any of which may seem a little thing, but the more I walk with Jesus, the more I realize how weak I am. As he says, a straw may throw me or a pebble wound me. The dangers on my path are not always large and obvious.

Truly God is good to Israel, to those who are pure in heart. But as for me, my feet had almost stumbled, my steps had nearly slipped. For I was envious of the arrogant when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. (Psalm 73:1–3)

The psalmist “almost stumbled” when he saw the prosperity of sinners. Envy is an attitude of heart and often unseen unless revealed by words. We can be alert to the larger stumbling blocks like anger or hate, but fail to see those hidden attitudes that can trip us before we notice them, like resentment or annoyance. In my walk with Jesus, I often feel like that little child who trembles taking her first steps. If my heavenly Father were not holding tightly, I would soon be down.

Besides those sinful and selfish attitudes, we have an enemy who casts temptation and accusations into our minds, even when we least expect his attacks. Only God who sees the unseen can protect His people and keep us from falling.

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Father, last week someone blind-sided me. It was verbal, but bordered on physical, a danger I did not expect. Most of the time my path is safe, yet I am more than ever aware of the “road so dangerous.” I am also convinced that You alone can preserve me from whatever lies ahead. Not only that, You are totally engaged to defend and protect me and even keep me from falling. I don’t want to stumble into sin even when someone sins against me. Shine light on my path. May I not be distracted or complacent. Help me see what I need to avoid and instead embrace Your loving care. I’m so thankful that even with this sense of utter helplessness, I am a child safe in my Father’s arms.