He guards you

God guards you from every evil, he guards your very life. He guards you when you leave and when you return, he guards you now, he guards you always. Psalm 121 MSG

As we read this scripture it can be easy to start to recall all the times when we feel we haven't been guarded in our lives. The times when things went really wrong and people got hurt, physically or emotionally. The times when people lost their lives and are no longer here on earth. With all these negative and evil circumstances happening what is God actually guarding us from?

The scripture says that He guards us when we leave. When we leave where?  And when we return to where? What is our final destination in life? Could it be that He is guarding us, not so that we will have a long life on earth, but rather He is guarding us so that we will return to Him in heaven at His appointed time? He is guarding us from the time we first left Him, until the time we return to Him. He has one sole purpose in mind, to reunite us with Him, our Heavenly Father, for eternity in heaven. He provided Jesus as the way for the reunion to be possible.

For God so greatly loves and dearly prized the world that He [even] gave up His only begotten (unique) son, so that whoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, relies on) Him shall not perish (come to destruction, be lost) but have eternal (everlasting) life. John 3:16 AMP

The eternal perspective of our lives is so different from the daily perspective that we so often live with. I find it difficult to continually have that eternal perspective as the events of life cause pain. That pain then causes me to focus on myself and become very self-absorbed. I loose the eternal perspective completely. It is only spending time in prayer and worship that brings me back to God and gives me glimpses of His perspective on the situation.  Only then do my emotions get back into line and I do indeed feel His precious peace over my life.

You will guard him and keep him in perfect and constant peace whose mind [both its inclination and its character] is stayed on You, because he commits himself to You, leans on You, and hopes confidently in You. So trust in the Lord (commit yourself to Him, lean on Him, hope confidently in Him) forever; for the Lord God is an everlasting Rock [the Rock of Ages]. Isaiah 26:1-4 AMP

He, the Lord God is guarding us, not always in the way we think or expect Him to guard us. But rather, I believe He is guarding us for His eternal purposes. We can trust Him to guard us forever.

Question for today, are you feeling 'unguarded' in some area of your life? Ask God to help you to see His eternal purpose for that area of your life. Give thanks for all He is doing in your life despite your circumstances. Ask for His perfect peace to mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything, by prayer and petition (definite requests), with thanksgiving, continue to make your wants known to God. And God's peace [shall be yours, that tranquil state of a soul assured of its salvation through Christ, and so fearing nothing from God and being content with its earthly lot of whatever sort that is, that peace] which transcends all understanding shall garrison and mount guard over your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:6-7 AMP