By Your Side
“Because he has his heart set on me, I will deliver him; I will protect him because he knows my name. When he calls out to me, I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble. I will rescue him and give him honor.” – Psalm 91:14-15
My husband’s family has this saying, “I don’t have your back. I’m by your side.”
They mean that if they had your back, they would have to be standing behind you, which means any danger that comes your way would hit you first, and then they would help. If they are standing by your side, they are ready to protect each other before harm comes – just like a goalkeeper stands in front of the goal to stop the ball. If the keeper stood behind the goal, they would be useless, and the ball would always go in.
God is offering His followers the ultimate protection in Psalm 91. In this Psalm, we are given confirmation that God hears us and will answer us. When we think God is being silent, maybe we are just not listening or expecting to hear what we want and not what He is truly saying.
We also get the promise that God will be with us in trouble. We must read that carefully because it doesn’t say He will take us out of trouble or there won’t be trouble for His followers. God says that when there is trouble, He will fight with us. We are not alone. When we lose hope, and the world’s problems seem to be winning, God promises He will rescue us. When we fail, and God has to rescue us, He goes a step further and assures us that He will restore us to honor as His sons and daughters, not mark us as failures.
- Do you believe that God hears you when you talk with Him? Why?
- What do you think God means by “giving honor?”
“God, You are our protector. You stand next to us, ready to fight the evil of this world with us. Help us know we are not fighting alone and that You are always with us and hearing us. When we feel alone, help us remember Your promises in your Scripture and believe them to be true. Amen.”
