July 1, 2020
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Mothers are never really off duty - even at the beach...especially at the beach. My wife was reminiscing one day about those summer days when she would take the three little Hutchcrafts, plus two little friends, to a lake near us. And they would run into the water and frolic like children. And is mother just lying on the beach, catching rays or going for refreshments? Nope! She is sitting on the beach, counting to five about fifty times. That's five, as in five little heads in the water. Good news! There were always as many kids in the station wagon leaving the lake as there had been coming to the lake! That's the goal. Our kids played without fear, and they could. They were safe because someone who loved them was always watching them.
I'm Ron Hutchcraft and I want to have A Word With You today about "Why the Kids Are Safe."
You're probably all grown up now. But you still need to know there's someone watching over you. And someone is.
That brings us to our word for today from the Word of God in the 121st Psalm. See if you can pick out the idea that is repeated five times in eight short verses here. Okay? You don't have to be a seminary professor to figure this out. "My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip. He who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, He who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord watches over you...The Lord will keep you from all harm. He will watch over your life. The Lord will watch over your coming and going from now and forevermore."
OK, a pretty airtight contract, huh? And did you get the words? Of course you did. Your Lord is constantly watching over you. There's no doubt about it. Your Lord is like my wife there at the beach, constantly keeping an eye on the children she loved, and ready to respond if harm might come to them. Now God's watching over you like that financially. He's watching over you medically...physically. He's watching over you relationally and emotionally. So, no matter how it may look right now, you are safe!
When a category five tornado tore through Rock Creek, Alabama, some of God's children experienced a dramatic example of what it means to have your Heavenly Father watching over you. Sixty people were inside the Open Door Church that Wednesday night, practicing for their Easter program. They actually huddled in a hallway while outside the twister cleared the parking lot of cars, dumped them in a ravine 300 yards away. The two-story church collapsed in on itself, but two supporting walls held firm - the ones that held up the hallway. The only injuries were a few broken bones. One nurse said, "I felt like God's hand just went in that hallway and He just protected us."
That's the same Heavenly Father who is looking out for you. Now you might say, "But Christians sometimes don't survive. God doesn't rescue them." That's right. In the last chapter of Scripture that Paul wrote before his execution, he said, "The Lord will rescue me from every evil attack and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom" (2 Timothy 4:18). In other words, the Lord will rescue you every time except one time - your time to come home to Him.
Isn't it great to know that your safety and security has nothing to do with your situation or your surroundings? Your safety depends on one thing and one thing alone - the watch care of your Father in heaven! So if you are where God wants you to be, you're just as safe as you would be on a battlefield when you're in your living room. You're as secure on an operating table as you are in your backyard because your Lord is watching over you both places.
Sure, like Nehemiah said; he said, "I prayed to the God of heaven and I posted a guard." You take common sense precautions, but ultimately it is your Heavenly Father that is your safety.
So, why waste time worrying about your welfare and stressing over the outcome? Our kids could splash around without any fear for their safety because they knew they had a mother who was always watching over them. You've got better than that. You have an all-powerful Heavenly Father!