The Angel Of the LORD Is A Guard; He Surrounds And Defends All Who Fear Him.

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The Angel Of the LORD
Is A Guard;
He Surrounds And Defends All Who Fear Him.

Whenever you and I face uncertainty and things ahead look difficult it is always important to look back and see how the hand of God has always taken care of us.

Scripture

Psalm 34

For the angel of the Lord is a guard;
    he surrounds and defends all who fear him.
⁸ Taste and see that the Lord is good.
    Oh, the joys of those who take refuge in him!
⁹ Fear the Lord, you his godly people,
    for those who fear him will have all they need.
¹⁰ Even strong young lions sometimes go hungry,
    but those who trust in the Lord will lack no good thing.

Psalm 91

¹ Those who live in the shelter of the Most High
    will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty.
² This I declare about the Lord:
He alone is my refuge, my place of safety;
    he is my God, and I trust him.
³ For he will rescue you from every trap
    and protect you from deadly disease.
⁴ He will cover you with his feathers.
    He will shelter you with his wings.
    His faithful promises are your armor and protection.
If you make the Lord your refuge,
    if you make the Most High your shelter,
¹⁰ no evil will conquer you;
    no plague will come near your home.
¹¹ For he will order his angels
    to protect you wherever you go.

Observation

Whenever you and I face uncertainty and things ahead look difficult it is always important to look back and see how the hand of God has taken care of us. You and I could write a book if we tried to include all the times in our lives where God watched over us.

A few weeks ago I once again had an episode of sudden cardiac arrest, but because I had a defibrillator implanted in my body in June 2012 it shocked me back into life. When the doctor placed the defibrillator in my chest he told Kathy and I that it would probably never go off and it was a good insurance policy. A month later July 2012 it went off for the first time. My heart doctor who I saw about 3 months ago made the comment that he didn’t think my defibrillator would ever go off again. Glad he didn’t take it out!

Both times I have fallen unconscious with absolutely no warning and never knew that it was getting ready to happen.

Both times when this has happened I have fallen and somehow I have not gotten seriously hurt and I have not caused harm to anyone else. This last time I was on the Skyway bridge fishing pier and for the life of me, I don’t know how I ended up with the back of my head lying against a high concrete curb with only a bruise on my shoulder and 3 small scrapes on my fingers. So grateful that it wasn’t when I was driving or climbing up to repair something around the house or at the church.

Now maybe if you didn’t believe that there is a God and you didn’t believe in a God who has ordered His angels to protect us then you would call what I just described as “luck”, but if you are a Christ Follower you know better!

Will he always protect us? No. No, we will also experience bad things in our lives. But even with those bad experiences God gives us a great promise.

    And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. Romans 8:28

And yes, one day we will die. Are you ready? When He is ready to take me home to Heaven I am out of here. How about you? If you die today do you know where you would spend eternity? If you are not sure, then I would love to talk to you about that.

Application

I am filled with gratitude today. My God is a gracious God. I will give Him thanks today for His goodness to me. How about you?

Prayer

Heavenly Father, I know that You have rescued me many times that I am not even aware of. I have probably been close to death many more times than I know about. You are so good. All the time. I have no complaints. Not being able to drive and having some chest pain and fatigue are small potatoes compared to what other people have to deal with.

God, You are a God of mercy, a God of all comfort and all compassion. The things that You allow us to experience give us the opportunity to comfort others. You never waste a hurt. Show me who needs to be encouraged today. Help me brighten his or her day.

    Now glory be to God, who by his mighty power at work within us is able to do far more than we would ever dare to ask or even dream of--infinitely beyond our highest prayers, desires, thoughts, or hopes. Ephesians 3:20

 Daily Bible Reading:  1 Samuel 20,21; Psalm 34; Matthew 5

Today’s "Life Journal" Daily Bible Reading can be found on Line. Click Here!