Talking about God’s PROTECTION

[AlsoBroken]

I love to read Psalm 91 - and the picture of being protected under the Wings of God, but I ALSO have a problem with claiming it as 100% true in a practical sense!

BECAUSE…
- Did God protect Job from disease and calamity? (No)
- Did God always protect David from disease and calamity? (No)
- Did God protect all the Jews from pogroms or the holocaust? (No)
- Does He always protect innocent children from harm? (No) 
- Or the family members of “good” Christians? (No)

We get the point, right?

 It’s actually very PAINFUL (I speak from experience) for some, be they Christians or not (!) to hear a glowing testimony  about how God AWESOMELY protected you from a tragedy of one kind or another. Or to hear boasting about ANY kind of Miracle that God performed. 

Yes, We need to tell others about what God is doing in our lives, and we LOVE to especially tell about His provision and protection and healing miracles - all the Feel Good stuff, right? 

BUT… use some caution! Let’s please know WHO our audience is. Who is listening (or reading us) that may have just gone through a Tragedy of some kind? In other words, be CONSIDERATE of anyone who may be in terrible pain and doubt, wondering… Where was God for THEM?

https://biblehub.com/nlt/psalms/91.htm

Edited June 6, 2023 by AlsoBroken

[farouk]

12 hours ago, AlsoBroken said:

I love to read Psalm 91 - and the picture of being protected under the Wings of God, but I ALSO have a problem with claiming it as 100% true in a practical sense!

BECAUSE…
- Did God protect Job from disease and calamity? (No)
- Did God always protect David from disease and calamity? (No)
- Did God protect all the Jews from pogroms or the holocaust? (No)
- Does He always protect innocent children from harm? (No) 
- Or the family members of “good” Christians? (No)

We get the point, right?

 It’s actually very PAINFUL (I speak from experience) for some, be they Christians or not (!) to hear a glowing testimony  about how God AWESOMELY protected you from a tragedy of one kind or another. Or to hear boasting about ANY kind of Miracle that God performed. 

Yes, We need to tell others about what God is doing in our lives, and we LOVE to especially tell about His provision and protection and healing miracles - all the Feel Good stuff, right? 

BUT… use some caution! Let’s please know WHO our audience is. Who is listening (or reading us) that may have just gone through a Tragedy of some kind? In other words, be CONSIDERATE of anyone who may be in terrible pain and doubt, wondering… Where was God for THEM?

https://biblehub.com/nlt/psalms/91.htm

@AlsoBroken Trust is really to exercise faith beyond our circumstances. Job 13.15: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him".

[Who me]

17 hours ago, AlsoBroken said:

Did God protect Job from disease and calamity? (No)
- Did God always protect David from disease and calamity? (No)
- Did God protect all the Jews from pogroms or the holocaust? (No)
- Does He always protect innocent children from harm? (No) 
- Or the family members of “good” Christians? (No)

Actually God did protect Job, yes he permitted satan to harm Job and his family, but that was only within the limits God set.

David was also protected, not from the consequences of his actions, but God enabled him to keep his throne.

The Jews, children etc, God is not a sugar daddy enabling us to live how we like with no consequences to our actions.

We are moral beings and if we persecute others for what ever reason we will face the consequences, either legal action in this life or Gods justice in the next.

 

 

Ultimately God wants us in a relationship with him, while we also live in a world and society that rejects every restraint and moral obligation from God.

Paul described todays world well when he said, 'they will call evil good and good evil'. we can only expect things to become worse as we seek to live to honour God and in doing so are salt and light in a decaying dark world.

[AlsoBroken]

Who me: Yours are all good points but I think you missed my original point. God does not protect us from all harm and disease and tragedy. These happen in one way or another to everyone eventually. And happy-going Christians need to be circumspective when it comes to who we share testimonies of God’s protection and blessings with. 

[AlsoBroken]

7 hours ago, farouk said:

@AlsoBroken Trust is really to exercise faith beyond our circumstances. Job 13.15: "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him".

Yes. And their testimony has greater impact because of their being “slayed” more or less. 

[FJK]

33 minutes ago, AlsoBroken said:

God does not protect us from all harm and disease and tragedy.

It rains on the Just and the Unjust.

But you decide how you will handle it when it does.

All of our life is a decision, we can strive to make decisions that please God and he will help us with them or we can decide to go our own way and he will let us go there on our own.

Your life, your choices, your decisions.

[com7fy8]

23 hours ago, AlsoBroken said:

It’s actually very PAINFUL (I speak from experience) for some, be they Christians or not (!) to hear a glowing testimony

Yes, thanks for the reminder. Indeed, there will be ones who do not know how to love us. And so, we need to be ready, so they can't get the better of us. One thing that helps is we are ready in prayer > including, possibly > 

"Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do." (in Luke 23:34)

 

 

23 hours ago, AlsoBroken said:

I love to read Psalm 91 - and the picture of being protected under the Wings of God, but I ALSO have a problem with claiming it as 100% true in a practical sense!

And >

"And who is he who will harm you if you become followers of what is good?" (1 Peter 3:13)

According to what I see in Philippians 4:6-7, if we pray the way God's word means for us to pray > 

"the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." (in Philippians 4:6-7)

So, we might not be protected outwardly, in one way or another, but in our "hearts and minds" we are guaranteed God's protection. God is almighty; His peace is almighty to easily guard our "hearts and minds". As we submit to Jesus in His peace > "you will find rest for your souls." (in Matthew 11:28-30)

 

23 hours ago, AlsoBroken said:

Did God protect Job from disease and calamity? (No)

Well, his so-called friends did not speak well to him. However, when Job met with Jesus Himself, Job felt he needed to repent "in dust and ashes" (Job 42:6). And after Job so answered to Jesus, then was when he got blessed with more than he lost!

After Job answered to God and got the correction he himself needed, then was when things got a lot better. But while he was answering to ones who did not know how to love him . . . that did not work. But as he got real character correction (Hebrews 12:4-14), himself, then he was sharing with God in God's creativity so he could handle more good than what he lost.

And how about Joseph > Genesis chapters 37-50? As he stayed with God, he got more and more than whatever he lost. And he gave his brothers more than they took from him.

 

[TheBlade]

On 6/4/2023 at 10:28 AM, AlsoBroken said:

I love to read Psalm 91 - and the picture of being protected under the Wings of God, but I ALSO have a problem with claiming it as 100% true in a practical sense!

BECAUSE…
- Did God protect Job from disease and calamity? (No)
- Did God always protect David from disease and calamity? (No)
- Did God protect all the Jews from pogroms or the holocaust? (No)
- Does He always protect innocent children from harm? (No) 
- Or the family members of “good” Christians? (No)

We get the point, right?

 It’s actually very PAINFUL (I speak from experience) for some, be they Christians or not (!) to hear a glowing testimony  about how God AWESOMELY protected you from a tragedy of one kind or another. Or to hear boasting about ANY kind of Miracle that God performed. 

Yes, We need to tell others about what God is doing in our lives, and we LOVE to especially tell about His provision and protection and healing miracles - all the Feel Good stuff, right? 

BUT… use some caution! Let’s please know WHO our audience is. Who is listening (or reading us) that may have just gone through a Tragedy of some kind? In other words, be CONSIDERATE of anyone who may be in terrible pain and doubt, wondering… Where was God for THEM?

https://biblehub.com/nlt/psalms/91.htm

Did you know God told David ... man all you had to do was ask I would have given you anything "I gave you your master’s house and your master’s wives into your keeping, and gave you the house of Israel and Judah. And if that had been too little, I also would have given you much more!"

Gods promises are yes and amen which means they always work. Each one of those "BECAUSE" you listed each one of them did something based on their free will vs what God said. Job...said something 3 times David sinned.. Jews rejected GOD aka Yeshua/Jesus Christ.

You didn't back any of this up with scripture. I know Psa 91 and I know my Father cannot lie. Now you gave the answer to why it does not work. Its called doubt "but I also have a problem with claiming it as 100% true in a practical sense". God didn't say that you did. Its like "delight your self in the lord He will give you the desires of your heart". Now I am sure many believers might say that does not work.  Ooh they won't really blame God but they know its not them. But what if we read the next verse "commit your way to the LORD, Trust also in Him, And He shall bring it to pass.". One has to commit your you way "giving your whole self to something—body, heart, and mind.". Trust also in Him which is "faith" which calls those things that be no as though they were. There is no doubt in what God said. You do what He said and He will bring it to pass.

Keep your mind on the lord and He will keep you in perfect peace. Christ.. peace I leave with you my peace not as the world gives. Take peace "and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." Again what was said before this since it starts with "and" "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God". So would seem don't be anxious for anything but in everything by prayer and supplication (ooh thats a good one do we?) with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God and the peace of God which surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

God told us OT NT.. Christ could only lay hands on a few and teach. Why? Because of doubt. Why did Christ seem to kick people out and only keep some with Him? NT tell us if we doubt were like a ship tossed back and forth and let not that man think he will get anything from God. Yet if we know He hears us we know we have the petitions/prayers we asked for". Wow.. almost like Christ saying what so ever you desire when you pray believe you receive it you shall have it. His word is full of promises what 6000-7000 or more. 

See what we say, hear, watch, think has a say in what God will do. I can't be lying all the time and then try to stand on some promise God said...yeah it won't work. If I don't repent or say I just hate the guy and then try to stand believe for something that I asked for in prayer will hinder it every time. Satan only said "you won't die you will be like God knowing good and evil". That was it. Adam and Eve just listed to that and look what it cost us. Then to just believe in Jesus Christ what He did...just believe you will have ever lasting life. 

See if I had none of this in my life I would say nothing. I have the works I have the fruits. Like the song playing now "Fix my eyes on you". I am live in this world like everyone else. I am hit by things in this world like everyone else. What I do is I found not based on what some preacher be it Baptist all the way to Word of Faith. I am not ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ. I searched on what God said and I believe not based on what some other believer believes or told me or I heard. I had a ooh very dear friend tell me one day about 40 years ago Mike said "you only believe this because you listen to those faith preachers". You know the ones get made fun of? So I showed Him my bible the one my parents gave me when I was like 10. I told him I don't believe like them ...to me they believe like me. Same for Billy Graham, John MacArthur then ooh so many saints of God that came before us.

Everything I believe if asked I will say "I believe this and heres why". But what I will  never bow to is Gods word fails. I just believe. If I start to doubt and man thats happens to me exactly like it does you but I get my eyes back on Christ and what He said.. not what I see. This is something that does not happen over night I am 62 and have so many stories how GOD saved me protected me and my family. Took me years to learn..  in the mist of ooh great pain suffering...to just stand on His word never looking thinking about what I see or feel and every time He has kept His word. I have faith in that name.. its that name as Peter and John said that healed this man.. that man that expected to receive something form them. Do you expect? 

I like what that preacher ..hmm Chang? I think in LA... should  have heard him talk about when he started to believe in the sweet sweet holy Spirit. Anyway I like what he said once about picture your on a island alone and this book washes up. Now you never heard of it before know nothing about it. Now pick it up read it. You ask God by His spirit to open your eyes. Go into it with out your personal beliefs. I am right now always willing to say FATHER forgive me change me in anything everything that I might have wrong. 

 

[R. Hartono]

I beg your pardon God did not promise you a Rose Garden.

[AlsoBroken]

Interesting replies. Why do most of you have such a compunction to preach or lecture though? 

Let’s say you’re the pastor of a church. One Sunday you get up and read Psalm 91, and the during your sermon you tell the amazing, glowing account of how your whole family narrowly missed a deadly car collision during your vacation. Praise God! 

Then as parishioners file out the door after the worship service, one man stops and says,

“Pastor, my 8 yr. old son was killed in an auto accident 6 months ago. Why did God protect your children but not mine?” 

I’d like to hear ONLY your answer to this one simple question. In that pastor’s shoes, what is YOUR answer to this father?