Read Psalm 91.
For He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. This is one of the loveliest of all the promises in the Bible. For tender beauty it stands alone. He shall give His angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways – and it is meant for you and for me. It might have seemed appropriate enough that some exalted Being should be given an escort of angels to surround him, to support him, to keep him in all his ways. But the Bible is the book of Everyman, and this promise is given to you and to me.
When we dwell in the shadow of God’s wings, we abide by God’s word in thought, word and deed. We accept God’s protection and our dependence on God for our welfare, guidance and salvation. It is then that God gives the angels charge over us. It is then that all things will come to us for our best good. Then, even if we do dash our foot against a stone, it will be for a good and needed purpose in our lives.
We dwell in the shadow when we live in the garden God created for us. Our gardenss, like Eden, are not free from temptation or danger. But they are places where we can be sure that God will watch over us each moment to help us avoid temptation and harm. And when we yield to temptation or experience suffering, we can be sure that God and the angels will turn that experience into something that will “keep us in all our ways”, (thoughts, words and deeds).
In assurance,
Z gardener
“Then, even if we do dash our foot against a stone, it will be for a good and needed purpose in our lives.”
To accept the unpleasant happenings in grace and assurance requires some amount of experience of the goodness and love of God. Otherwise we are too prone to whining like spoiled little children. Even when the good comes, we miss it…too busy grousing to notice.
Ah, there’s something about growing up – takes time!
Great point.