But the Lord is faithful, Who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil. 2 Thessalonians 3:3
Some 6700 people work for the United States Secret Service, many of them in the protective branch that is tasked with protecting the president and various other government officials and former officials. The Secret Service is the best known of the many bodyguard organizations in that country. Other bodyguards are hired to protect wealthy people, leaders of various organizations, celebrities of all kinds, and people who are paranoid about their safety. Many bodyguards are well paid, and some of them are often in danger, or in potential danger. But for the people they protect, these bodyguards provide a high degree of comfort. Safety is a valuable commodity, and to a certain extent, those bodyguards are able to deliver. Safety is valuable to us as Christians, too, and our text points out that we have more than a bodyguard, we have the Lord as a Guard for our body, soul, and spirit.
The Word of God is overflowing with promises of God’s protection of His people. Take this portion from Psalm 91:1-10 for example: ‘He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in Him will I trust. Surely He shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with His feathers, and under His wings shalt thou trust: His truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked. Because thou hast made the Lord, which is my refuge, even the most High, thy habitation. There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling.’ And that is but one of the precious promises that God gives His people. As our text declares, He is faithful in His protection of us.
But we all know Christians who have encountered dangers and have suffered much. Not so long ago, a Christian working to provide humanitarian aid to people in North Korea was condemned to a slave labour camp as punishment for witnessing for Christ. Did the Lord keep him from evil? In His sovereign wisdom, God sometimes allows His people to endure such trials. In ways that we are not aware of, He works through His people for His glory. And those who suffer pain do not suffer loss; rich rewards await all those who suffer for Christ. Our text declares that He keeps us from evil, and that includes keeping us from being overtaken by evil. ‘But God is faithful, Who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it’ (1 Corinthians 10:13). In the trials, we never lose the reality of God’s presence with us, and all that His presence means. John 14:7 reminds us that ‘Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.’
Why should you and I be fearful today, when we have the Lord as our guard and guide? -Jim MacIntosh