“But you, LORD, are a shield around me, my glory, and the one who lifts up my head.” 3:3… “I will both lie down and sleep in peace, for you alone, LORD, make me live in safety.” 4:8
There is an old saying that “the safest place to be is in the center of God’s will.” I understand the sentiment of the statement, because being outside of God’s will is a dangerous place to be. That much is true, and we should strive to always be obedient and please Him. However, I disagree with that old saying because sometimes God calls you to go into danger. Sometimes being in the center of His will means following Him into a place where bad things can happen; because being salt and light and pushing against the darkness means that the darkness will sometimes push back.
We receive security updates from time to time from different agencies warning about potential threats in the places where we live. This morning we received one that states, “based on recent attacks along the Somali border with Kenya, there is a 50/50 chance that there will be some kind of attack by al Shabab in a major city in Kenya in the near future.” That is my paraphrase of their report. Yet tomorrow we will board a plane and head right back to our place of service in a major city in Kenya. It is a complex situation, and while we will be more vigilant and watchful than usual I am not worried. I am not worried because we know the situation and how to operate in such a climate, but also because we know it is where the LORD is directing us to be.
God does not promise an absence of danger. Yet for David he was convinced that the LORD was his shield in the mist of any danger. Suzie and I have that same sense of His presence and protection. Like David we are able to “lie down and sleep in peace,” peace about leaving family and friends and peace about our calling and what we will face, because we know that as David said, “It is the LORD alone who makes us live in safety.” Whether you are here in America or whether you are on the other side of the world, safety is only found in Him. This doesn’t mean you won’t find danger or be called to push against the darkness. It doesn’t mean you won’t suffer because sometimes He calls us to experience that. However, you can know that whatever gets to you has to get through Him first, and He only allows you to suffer what will ultimately be for your good and His glory. Even so, be glorified in us Lord Jesus.
