Ready to Surrender? Trusting in God's Protective Wings

Hi and welcome to the Recovery Christian. This is Suzanne, and today we are going back to one of my absolute favorite Psalms. This is Psalm 91, verses 9-14. If you make the Lord your refuge, if you make the most high your shelter, no evil will conquer you, no plague will come near your home, for he will order his angels to protect you wherever you go. They will hold you up with their hands so you won't even hurt your foot on a stone. You will trample upon lions and cobras. You will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet. The Lord says I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. When they call on me, I will answer. I will be with them in trouble. I will rescue and honor them. Doesn't this paint such a vivid picture of God's steadfast shelter and safeguarding presence? The unwavering protection the Father offers us begins with us making him our dwelling place. We need to choose him every day. When we deliberately and purposely choose the Lord as our refuge and shelter, evil cannot overpower us and plagues cannot come near our dwelling. It's a powerful assurance offering solace in times of uncertainty, a testament to God's relentless shelter and a wavering presence in our lives. God commands his angels to encircle us, to shield us wherever our steps may lead, and I just love that. They are assigned to lift us up, ensuring that even our feet won't stumble against the rocks of life's challenges. His angels protect us wherever we go. What a beautiful portrayal of divine guardianship, empowering us to conquer what once seemed insurmountable, symbolized by treading upon lions and cobras, triumphing over the fiercest adversaries, including our fears and our pasts and our addictions. So why does God extend such profound protection? Well, the answer resounds through eternity. He says I will rescue those who love me. I will protect those who trust in my name. That is a promise of rescue, a pledge of safety for those who place their trust in him. He assures us that in moments of trouble and there are lots of moments of trouble when we call upon him, he will answer. He pledges his presence, his deliverance and his honor upon our lives. He offers us a long life and salvation if we just call on him. Calling on the Father is such a simple thing. So why don't we do it all the time? Why do we always try to do everything on our own, struggling and striving, working so hard to make our problems go away and set our world back to right. We can never do it on our own. Too many of us are trying and it's just a big ol' mess. There's a meme that always makes me laugh so hard because it's so true. It shows a man peeking around a door and the caption says something like this is me checking up on the things I left to God? Hey, god, just checking on the status. Isn't that exactly what we do most of the time? We pray and decide to let go and let God, and then we keep checking in. We honestly cannot help it. It's our human nature at work. Letting go and letting God is hard. It takes trust and faith that God actually will hear and will act. As hard as it is. This is what we absolutely need to do. Give it to Him, love Him, call on Him, let Him answer. His timing is not our timing. His will is not our will, but still he knows our needs, our desires, our hurts and our hearts. He knows. Let Him work in your life. Take Him your refuge, your shelter, your safe place, and let Him abide in you and for you. There is not one single thing I can accomplish on my own. Anything I can do better than he can. Let's just stop trying to be God. Let's ask for help and protection and call on Him for everything we need. Let's pray, heavenly Father, we stand in awe of your unwavering protection. Thank you for being our refuge, our secure shelter in the midst of life storms. Strengthen us with your abiding presence and cover us with your shield of protection. Guide our steps and grant us the courage to call upon your name, knowing that you are faithful to answer. Be close to us today and every day. In Jesus' name, we pray Amen. As we navigate the winding road of recovery. Let this assurance be our compass and our comfort. Know that God's protective wings are wide enough to cover every fear, every doubt and every struggle we might face. It's big enough to cover our stumbles, our setbacks and our doubts. Let's carry this promise with us as a beacon of hope, sharing it with others, embodying the love and protection God has lavished upon us as we continue forward. May His unwavering presence be our strength, his unwavering protection be our shield and His unwavering love be our guiding light. May we walk in the confidence that God's loving hand is upon us, shaping our recovery and leading us toward restoration and renewal. Thanks so much for being here today. I'll see you next time. Thank you so much for listening. I hope your bite-sized devotion today was very satisfying. If you enjoyed this episode, I'd be honored if you'd leave a review or a rating. We are new, so every little bit helps me bring the word to the world. I'd love to get to know you better at our Facebook group, the Recovered Christian. I'll put a link to it in the show notes. So thanks again for being here and I will see you next time.