PROTECTED AS WE DRIVE THROUGH LIFE

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In Christ, Mark

The scriptures. May God bless the reading of His holy word.

In You, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In Your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn Your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

For You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on You; You brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise You. I have become a sign to many; You are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with Your praise, declaring Your splendor all day long.

Psalm 71:1-8

This ends this reading from God's holy word. Thanks be to God.

I was sitting here reading the opening verses of this psalm and thinking about my vulnerability. I think we take that for granted most of the time. So many days go by in life where things go fine that we lose sight that each of those days had plenty of potential disasters that never came to fruition. Let me give you an example or two looking at the matter of driving.

I commute to work each morning and home in the afternoon. Perhaps you do the same or are at least out in your car on a semi-regular basis.

And so when I’m out on the road, there are cars all around me when I’m on the interstate traveling at speed. There are lanes everyone drives in but what is there to keep any car from leaving their lane and crashing into me. Think about it. It’s a total mission of faith out there on the interstate and we so often don’t even think about it.

What about when we’re off the interstate? That situation also places us in a vulnerable position.

Many streets around Virginia Beach and the rest of the southside of Hampton Roads are two way. Traffic flows in two directions on the same roadway with a double yellow line dividing the two directions. Let’s say there is only one lane going each direction. You are going southbound and a car is approaching you heading northbound. Between you and calamity is a painted double yellow line which is never going to stop any car that crosses over it. We’re a heartbeat away from a head on collision multiple times a day and yet we drive through these situations unscathed. Truly, we are protected by more than just the framework of the vehicle we’re operating.

Indeed, God is ever with us in life, riding along with us in every matter. David knew this and he knew something about having to navigate around potential dangers. Look at these opening words of the 71st Psalm:

In You, Lord, I have taken refuge; let me never be put to shame. In Your righteousness, rescue me and deliver me; turn Your ear to me and save me. Be my rock of refuge, to which I can always go; give the command to save me, for You are my rock and my fortress. Deliver me, my God, from the hand of the wicked, from the grasp of those who are evil and cruel.

For You have been my hope, Sovereign Lord, my confidence since my youth. From birth I have relied on You; You brought me forth from my mother’s womb. I will ever praise You. I have become a sign to many; You are my strong refuge. My mouth is filled with Your praise, declaring Your splendor all day long.

David saw God not just with him in present time but as having been there with him and for him since the very day he was born. Indeed, David had relied on God from birth as he was brought forth from his mother’s womb. So have we. And while we’re talking about all the many potential disasters we have faced and not suffered from, go back to your early years, your childhood days as you moved toward adulthood and think about all the risky behaviors you engaged in, all the possible pitfalls that could have occurred but didn’t. Truly, God was with us from the very start, our perpetual present help in all times. David saw Him as the Rock and Refuge for his life. We should see God likewise for that’s just who and what He is.

So what happens when we truly see our vulnerability and realize how God assists us in driving through life safely every day? We find ourselves exponentially praising God more. We can’t help but do it.

It’s not that we don’t praise God already but how much more would we do so when we counted every possible thing that could have harmed us that didn’t and then saw God as the One who prevented it. It’s a paradigm shift for us but one that draws us into a greater sense of appreciation for how great and loving God is to us.

This attitude led David to declare God’s splendor all day long and it will lead us to do the same. Not only will we praise God more in our personal prayers but we’ll want to testify to others about Him. I would encourage you to discuss the example in this devotion with others, no matter where they are in their faith walk. Many people who are weak in their faith can be bolstered and encouraged to see God working powerfully in their lives by realizing the blessings they receive from Him and take for granted. You and I can help facilitate bringing them to that place through our testimony as we, like David, proclaim the splendors of the Lord Almighty.

Friends, there is always good news for us in God’s word. Today, He is reminding us that we never drive alone when we steer our way through life. Know He ever has a hand on the wheel and we should allow Him to guide us in the right direction, toward safety and toward praise for His goodness, grace and love.

Amen.

In Christ,

Mark

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