Under God’s Wing: The Promise of Protection

Bible Reading

Psalm 91:1-2; 9-16

Psalm 91:1–2 NCV

Those who go to God Most High for safety will be protected by the Almighty. I will say to the Lord, “You are my place of safety and protection. You are my God and I trust you.”

Psalm 91:9–16 NCV

The Lord is your protection; you have made God Most High your place of safety. Nothing bad will happen to you; no disaster will come to your home. He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you wherever you go. They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock. You will walk on lions and cobras; you will step on strong lions and snakes. The Lord says, “Whoever loves me, I will save. I will protect those who know me. They will call to me, and I will answer them. I will be with them in trouble; I will rescue them and honor them. I will give them a long, full life, and they will see how I can save.”

This psalm tell us that God is:

The Most High.

The Almighty.

Our protection.

A place of safety.

Our Saviour.

Our rescuer.

I wonder which name best expresses who God is to you?

Have you ever experienced God’s protection?

I don’t know how many of you have seen the film, Panic Room.

It stars Jodie Foster as a woman who is frightened by burglars who have broken into her NY home.

She retreats with her daughter to a high-tech panic room that’s actually part of her apartment.

Apparently, safe rooms are not just for films. So, I don’t know if you have a one at home. They can be oversized cupboards with reinforced doors, a phone, and a fridge. Or something more extravagant, with CCTV video banks, computers, and air systems to protect against biological warfare.

Of course, we had our very own here, until DHQ took over it!

I have told our divisional team that if there is a threat to our safety, we’ll all be breaking in there to be with them!

I wonder if there have been times when you’ve wanted and needed God’s protection, but it doesn’t seem to be there?

Like everyone else, Christians get sick, injured, attacked even.

Does that mean God has chosen not to protect them?

Let’s have a look at God’s protection through the description of Jesus’ time in the wilderness

He was there for a long time with no food.

40 days in fact.

Do you think you could go 40 days without food?

For thousands of years people have used going without food for a while - known as fasting - as a way to get closer to God.

Pick up loaf

How long could you go without food?

For really hungry people, stones can look like food!

If you’re hungry now, even this plastic loaf could begin to look like food!

After 40 days, Jesus would have needed something to eat, but there was no food.

He had the power to turn rocks into food, but would that have been the right way to use his power?

He had more important things to think about.

He wasn’t going to die of hunger.

He knew God would protect him, and provide him with something when the time was right.

What about us?

There are things we need - though some of the stuff we say we “need” we really don’t, if we’re honest.

Sometimes, what we think we need causes us to miss the things we really do need - the important things in life.

What might they be?

Jesus trusted God would give him what he needed.

Will we trust God to give us what we really need?

The devil’s offer of world power

The devil offered Jesus world power, even though it was not his to give.

What would you do if you could rule the world?

Video: What Would You Do If You Ruled the World | 1:00

Power can be used for good.

That’s why power was such a tempting idea for Jesus.

But he also knew that “power corrupts, and absolute power corrupts absolutely”.

Power means having what we want.

Power means being able to control other people’s lives.

Power means we end up worshipping ourselves.

There are some things we need to control, but always wanting to be in control is thinking we know best.

Do you know someone like that?

Are you sometimes like that too?

Jesus said no to power.

He knew that we should worship God and allow him to protect us.

Jesus’ power to reverse the laws of nature

Jesus trusted that God his Father really did know what was best.

So the devil tried again with his third and final challenge:

Luke 4:9–11 NCV

Then the devil led Jesus to Jerusalem and put him on a high place of the Temple. He said to Jesus, “If you are the Son of God, jump down. It is written in the Scriptures: ‘He has put his angels in charge of you to watch over you.’ It is also written: ‘They will catch you in their hands so that you will not hit your foot on a rock.’ ”

What would happen if I jumped off a really tall building?

I’d fall.

I’d probably break some bones.

I might even be killed.

And why would I fall?

Because God made gravity to hold the world together.

What if I was to catch a germ?

I might get sick.

But God created germs because they’re needed in the world.

Why do relationships break down?

Why do we experience heartache?

Because God has made us with the freedom to make choices.

So why do we think God should set aside the way his creation works just to suit us?

Can you imagine the chaos if God cancelled gravity so we could jump off tall buildings, or stopped everything that causes illness, or forced people to make choices they didn’t want to make?

Jesus knew God’s protection was not a guarantee that nothing bad would ever happen

He also knew that God protects his followers by strengthening them to face bad things.

We’ve seen evidence of that here in the way people have faced the tough challenges in their lives.

Temptation is part of God’s plan.

We will be tempted, just as Jesus was tempted.

He carried on being tempted for the remainder of his life, even on the cross.

We will tempted to test God’s love for us throughout our lives.

Testing prepared Jesus for the work God had for him to do.

Testing prepares us for God’s work too.

Testing is God’s protection plan!

Prayer of Confession