Published by admin on 08 Jan 2016 at 02:21 pm
GOD HAS YOUR BACK
I’ve often talked about how God protects those that are His, and when you read Psalm 91, it tells us;
Psa 91:1 He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
Psa 91:2 I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust.
Psa 91:3 Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
Psa 91:4 He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Let me tell you from firsthand experience about God’s protection. Two days ago I stopped for a traffic light. My wife and dog were with me in the car. At the moment I stopped, we were rear-ended by a dump truck that hit us hard and launched us into the intersection. There happened to be a Police vehicle at the light waiting to go, when our car headed straight into his driver’s door. By the grace of God, I was able to steer the car around the police car and stop without hitting anyone. AND, we walked away from the accident. The car was totally demolished. Our dog normally rides in the back seat, but she happened to be in my wife’s lap at the time, and she likely would have been killed had she been in the back seat at the time. Again, God’s mercy was at work, our dog is just fine. Could God have prevented the accident altogether? Yes, but instead of delivering us FROM, He chose to deliver us THROUGH, just like the account written in Daniel 3:10-30.
Dan 3:10 Thou, O king, hast made a decree, that every man that shall hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, shall fall down and worship the golden image:
Dan 3:11 And whoso falleth not down and worshippeth, that he should be cast into the midst of a burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:12 There are certain Jews whom thou hast set over the affairs of the province of Babylon, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego; these men, O king, have not regarded thee: they serve not thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Dan 3:13 Then Nebuchadnezzar in his rage and fury commanded to bring Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego. Then they brought these men before the king.
Dan 3:14 Nebuchadnezzar spake and said unto them, Is it true, O Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, do not ye serve my gods, nor worship the golden image which I have set up?
Dan 3:15 Now if ye be ready that at what time ye hear the sound of the cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, and dulcimer, and all kinds of musick, ye fall down and worship the image which I have made; well: but if ye worship not, ye shall be cast the same hour into the midst of a burning fiery furnace; and who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hands?
Dan 3:16 Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, answered and said to the king, O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter.
Dan 3:17 If it be so, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us from the burning fiery furnace, and he will deliver us out of thine hand, O king.
Dan 3:18 But if not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, nor worship the golden image which thou hast set up.
Dan 3:19 Then was Nebuchadnezzar full of fury, and the form of his visage was changed against Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego: therefore he spake, and commanded that they should heat the furnace one seven times more than it was wont to be heated.
Dan 3:20 And he commanded the most mighty men that were in his army to bind Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, and to cast them into the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:21 Then these men were bound in their coats, their hosen, and their hats, and their other garments, and were cast into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:22 Therefore because the king’s commandment was urgent, and the furnace exceeding hot, the flame of the fire slew those men that took up Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego.
Dan 3:23 And these three men, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, fell down bound into the midst of the burning fiery furnace.
Dan 3:24 Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was astonied, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counsellors, Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king, True, O king.
Dan 3:25 He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God.
Dan 3:26 Then Nebuchadnezzar came near to the mouth of the burning fiery furnace, and spake, and said, Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, ye servants of the most high God, come forth, and come hither. Then Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, came forth of the midst of the fire.
Dan 3:27 And the princes, governors, and captains, and the king’s counsellors, being gathered together, saw these men, upon whose bodies the fire had no power, nor was an hair of their head singed, neither were their coats changed, nor the smell of fire had passed on them.
Dan 3:28 Then Nebuchadnezzar spake, and said, Blessed be the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who hath sent his angel, and delivered his servants that trusted in him, and have changed the king’s word, and yielded their bodies, that they might not serve nor worship any god, except their own God.
Dan 3:29 Therefore I make a decree, That every people, nation, and language, which speak any thing amiss against the God of Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, shall be cut in pieces, and their houses shall be made a dunghill: because there is no other God that can deliver after this sort.
Dan 3:30 Then the king promoted Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, in the province of Babylon.
Now I realize this was a different circumstance altogether, we weren’t in the wreck because of our testimony for the LORD, or anything like that, yet it demonstrates clearly how God watches over His children. Just because you love the LORD, you are not automatically excused from hardship or accidents. Sometimes I think the devil tries even harder to destroy God’s kids than he does other people. BUT it says the LORD never slumbers or sleeps, and He certainly was on duty when we needed Him. This is just a short testimony today to encourage you in case you are wondering if God is really aware of you and watching over you. He is, and if you belong to Him, then you are safely in His hands, and He has His angels watching over you. The back window of our car was totally blown out, yet not a piece touched Jenny or me. One of my friends told me that angels protected us. I hope the angels are ok, because by all rights we should not have walked away from that wreck. We give God ALL the glory for protecting us and our pet.
Whether you are facing persecution for your testimony for Christ Jesus, or are just going through this or that because you happen to be alive, it makes no difference, because trials and tribulation are no fun, everybody has them, even those who love God, the devil will see to that. But what I’m saying is, you don’t have to go through them alone and by your own strength. God is available to be your hedge of protection. I didn’t even have time to say JESUS!!! But I didn’t have to. He was already on it. Am I glad? You bet’cha! God is good. ALL THE TIME!
And that reminds me, just in case you don’t know Christ Jesus as YOUR Lord and Savior, don’t let another moment slip away without making that decision. Your initial response might be to say, Later, not now. But let me tell you, none of us know what the next moment might bring. Read all of Psalm 91, and I’m sure you’ll agree, THIS is something you don’t want to ever leave home without. God’s love is real, His protection is real, and YOU need it, especially in today’s world. God has your back.
Mel Montgomery on 08 Jan 2016 at 4:10 pm #
A wonderful testimony and helpful exhortation. Thank you Brother Jerry for sharing it. 🙂
Dee on 08 Jan 2016 at 4:40 pm #
What a wonderful and timely message. I plan on meditating on the scriptures you provided. 2015 has been a trying time. It seems there has been one medical issue after the other for me. Then about a month or so ago I had pain on my left side. I am continuing to pray and read God’s word on Healing. I am scheduled for an ultrasound to find out what”s going on. Then last night my mother called and advised me that her younger sister, my aunt, collapsed and is now in critical condition and on a respirator. We are all Christians and lean on the Lord. My mom is elderly and its hard. Please keep me and my aunt in prayer for healing. Thank you.
Donna on 08 Jan 2016 at 5:36 pm #
Amen, thank you for sharing Pastor Jerry, a wonderful testimony of God’s protection and how sometimes he does not protect us from the storm, but through the storm. I clearly heard the Lord tell me that a number of years ago when Hurricane Sandy was heading up this way and I was praying for God to protect us from the storm and not let it come and I clearly heard him say during that time He would protect us through the storm…and He did, we were not hurt neither was our home destroyed. I am grateful that you, your wife and dog were not hurt in the accident!
patty on 08 Jan 2016 at 6:50 pm #
Thank you Jesus for watching over Jenny and Jerry and their pet 🙂
Lorie leahy on 08 Jan 2016 at 8:22 pm #
Amen Jerry I’m glad you and Jenny and the pup are safe. Praise God
Todd & Terry Craig on 08 Jan 2016 at 8:31 pm #
So glad everyone is okay! God is good! Love you brother and see you at church soon!