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Devotional

With

by CHRISSY WINSLOW PROTECTION/SAFETY Protection & safety overseas
With
  • by CHRISSY WINSLOW
  • Comment
You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you. For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
Psalms 139:1-14

The concepts of protection and safety vary from culture to culture. As a global worker, I am constantly encountering the values of others, so I find my understanding of these terms is usually in flux. They are far more nuanced than I understood when I was younger.


When I think of protection and safety, it is not with the notion that my loved ones and I are
always kept from emotional and physical harm. That would be wonderful, of course, but it does not ring true with life experience. The reason we have the words protection and safety in the first place is to explain there are harmful things in the world from which we desire to be spared. Sometimes, however, we are not spared. This is why I cling to the word with.


The idea of with means I’m in the company of another; it means beside, close, near, together. I am not spared difficulty, but God is with me. During each of my pregnancy losses when I wept bitterly, He was beside me. When a group of men held me in an isolated alley with a knife, my Father was close. When my daughter unknowingly skipped over a sunning cobra while playing in our courtyard, Jesus was near her. When my dear friend died of cancer, she was together with Jesus before and after she passed from this world.


The Father also celebrates with me during every joyful and mundane moment of life. I am
sometimes aware of His nearness when I water plants in my yard, celebrate birthdays with friends, or hang out my family’s laundry.


Blessings and heartbreak are certain to come. God will be close to me in both, actively working out what He knows is best. Thankfully, with is also a certainty. As my daughter says, “No matter what happens, I know I am with God.”


Closing Prayer
Thank You, Father, that You are with me, whether I’m having my best day, worst day, or something in between the two. Amen.
Resources
Devotional: The Songs of Jesus: A Year of Daily Devotions in the Psalms by Timothy and Kathy Keller The Psalms are raw, real, and filled with emotions during times of great joy and suffering. The wife of Timothy Keller co-authored this devotional during an extended illness as she trusted God was with her in difficult circumstances.
Question for Reflection

Do my thoughts about protection and safety reflect the belief that God is always with me or do I think God is with me only when things work out the way I want?

Comments
Chrissy Winslow
March 15, 2021

Father, in my head I know You are with me always, as You promised You would be when you sent your followers into the world to make disciples of all nations. Sometimes, I am blessedly aware of this and it’s easy to turn toward you. When life’s circumstances scare me, however, it can be easy to forget this and to let fearful emotions dominate my thoughts and choices. Please help me to remember You are with me always. I can always turn to the One who is with me for help, strength, and wisdom.