This post is part of a 40-Day Prayer Journey through the season of Lent. Click here to learn more.
“The Lord will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life” (Psalm 121:7).
This verse, quoted from a psalm often sung and prayed by Jewish pilgrims on their way to worship in Jerusalem, is certainly a comfort . . . but it can also invite some hard questions.
If this verse is true, then why do bad things happen to God’s people? Why do Christians get sick, suffer persecution, get in accidents, or even die?
Is this verse merely wishful thinking? Is it hyperbole?
By no means.
The psalms are the songs and prayers of God’s people—and Psalm 121 is a bold prayer to our heavenly Father for God’s people. It’s also a reminder of who our God is: our ever-present help in times of trouble.
God watches over us, his dearly loved children. He neither slumbers nor sleeps. He’s with us every step of the way through life. There is never a moment when we have to wonder where God is, never a moment when we have to ask if God is still with us. He’s always with us, for Jesus’ sake.
Why? Because God’s ultimate goal for his children is that we all be home with him in heaven one day, free from all sin, sorrow, toil, trouble, and danger. That’s why Jesus came to this sin-darkened earth. That’s why we’re following his journey to the cross this Lenten season.
Consider the prayer that Jesus himself prayed on the night he was betrayed: “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world” (John 17:24).
You, me, and all of God’s people being in heaven with him—that’s exactly why Jesus came to set us free from sin, death, and darkness!
God continually shows us who he is and what he has done for us in his Word and sacraments. We see his great love for us, his children. He reminds us of the forgiveness Jesus won for us with his perfect life and innocent death on the cross. He points us to the heavenly home waiting for us at the end of our journey through this valley of the shadow of death. He directs our attention to his unbreakable promise in Jesus of our ultimate deliverance from all harm and danger.
Today, as you pray, pray boldly for yourself. Pray for your loved ones and all of God’s people who face harm and danger. Pray that God would protect and deliver his children in those situations. No matter what, pray that God would bolster courage through those times and keep eyes fixed on what Jesus has done.
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Alex Brown is the marketing and content copywriter at Northwestern Publishing House. He has his Master of Divinity degree from Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary and enjoys reading, writing, and spending time in God’s creation.
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