Monday Reflection – February 07, 2022

Monday Reflection – February 07, 2022
God’s Safety and Security

He will cover you with his pinions, and under his wings you will find refuge. Psalm 91:4

In a nation where crime and violence is prevalent and racing out of control, there is the growing cry for action to ensure the security of us all. In a world where war exists and there is the ever-present threat of more war, humanity’s safety and security can hardly be guaranteed. Safety and security is one of our basic human needs as humans. Based on Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, the most basic is our physiological needs including food and water, sufficient rest, clothing and shelter, overall health, and reproduction. Next is our safety needs including protection from violence and theft, emotional stability and well-being, health security, and financial security. Thus, there is the real and deep-seated need for safety and security on the part of us as humans.

The Psalmist in chapter 91 provides an answer for our lack of security and safety. For David, there is true security in trusting in the almighty God, and those who dwell under the shelter of our God and Saviour are shielded and protected under the shadow of His wing. He is our Safeguard and our strong Shield! He is our Defence and our almighty Defender. We can positively affirm that the Lord is our Refuge and our Fortress. The Psalmist is using the metaphor of a bird with his mother. God is the protective mother who feeds, nurtures, and protects her young. The image is meant to invoke safety and warmth when we dwell in God. In his shelter, he will cover us with his feathers and we will find refuge. God is our protector because he is faithful. Our relationship with him always rests on his unfailing faithfulness. There is no other place for the Christian to look for refuge. There is nowhere safer to be than in the arms of the Father. To come under his wings to find refuge would mean looking to him in prayer, looking to his word to see how to live, and then living out his commands, acknowledging his presence the whole way.

The Lord is likened to a bird whose wings of protection overshadow us and whose strong-arm guards us when danger approaches or when we are overcome by the heat of the day or the perils of the night. We can boast that the Lord our God is our never-failing help in time of trouble, and that His abiding faithfulness has become our shield and protection. We know that the cruel enemy comes as a roaring lion and morphs into a snake in the grass, seeking by every means to attack, injure, harm, and discourage God’s children. We know that the devil is a liar and murderer who deceives the world and seeks to shipwreck the faith of all God’s children. But God has promised to cover us with His pinions and provide refuge under His wings. God has promised to protect us from harm and danger, to protect our minds from discouragement and despair, and to safeguard our hearts with His perfect peace. What tremendous security is ours, for we are kept under His protective wings and covered with His pinions.

Yet, we must remind ourselves that God’s safety and security is ours not because of own merit, but because of His goodness and grace. It is nothing to do with our own worthiness or virtue that we are furnished with such heavenly privileges, but it is entirely founded on His unswerving fidelity and His never-ending faithfulness towards the children of men. Indeed, God’s grace and mercies are new every morning and His promises never fail. Let’s place our entire lives and complete trust in God who provides the safety and security that we always need.

Jermaine Gibson