“Does God really protect us? Will thought to himself. As soon as he silently asked himself the question, he answered it. Of course he does. Then another thought: Does he always protect us in the way we want, when we want it? And then he remembered something that Len Redgrove had once said to him. “God’s love for and protection of us are always consistent with his will for us—and his will for us is always consistent with what is best, not only for us, but also for a fallen world that he is always trying to rescue.””
“Does God really protect us? Will thought to himself. As soon as he silently asked himself the question, he answered it. Of course he does. Then another thought: Does he always protect us in the way we want, when we want it? And then he remembered something that Len Redgrove had once said to him. “God’s love for and protection of us are always consistent with his will for us—and his will for us is always consistent with what is best, not only for us, but also for a fallen world that he is always trying to rescue.”” from “Custody of the State (Chambers of Justice Book 2)” by Craig Parshall
I suppose the answer to that question – does God really protect us – is “it depends”.
They will be my people, and I will be their God
The heading – “They will be my people, and I will be their God” – appears several times in the Bible.
let me ask you a question –
If you’re not one of God’s people,
if you don’t believe,in God,
if you actively work against God,
if you hate God –
do you really expect Him to protect you?
If you’re not one of His people and don’t want to be one of His people –
you’re probably not even asking that question.
So I’d expect that you probably wouldn’t be included in “us” when someone else asks if God really protects “us”.
Protect them from the evil one
That heading comes from John 17:15
My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one.
It would appear to put some limits around what the word “protect” actually means.
Blessed are those who are persecuted
Uh Oh, More limits. Persecution is OK?
Jesus prays for our protection from the evil one, and yet also says –
Mt 5:10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
So that there’s no confusion as to what that means, Jesus also says –
Mt 24:9 “Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me.
The tree of life
Finally, at the end of Revelation, Jesus says –
Rev 22:12 “Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. 13 I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End.
Rev 22:14 “Blessed are those who wash their robes, that they may have the right to the tree of life and may go through the gates into the city. 15 Outside are the dogs, those who practice magic arts, the sexually immoral, the murderers, the idolaters and everyone who loves and practices falsehood.
Rev 22:16 “I, Jesus, have sent my angel to give you this testimony for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, and the bright Morning Star.”
So yes – God does protect “us”.
But even for “us” – maybe it’s not the kind of protection we were hoping for.
It is, however, the kind we need.
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