The Bible claims that "God is love" and "Love always protects", therefore God always protects.
The typical reaction is, "No! There is plenty of painful evidence that he doesn't!"
When my daughter was three years old I took her to the pediatrician for a MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccination.
I held her in my lap as she received the shots. I remember her looking up at me with tear-filled and terrified eyes. Her expression was a combination of fear, confusion and pain. She could not understand why I was betraying her and allowing these strangers to hurt her.
Was I protecting her? In the short-term, no; there was much pain. In the long-run, yes; for I was allowing her body to build up immunities to diseases that could cause her greater pain in years to come.
I think it is that way with God's protection. God is always loving, and His love always protects. God sees protection as a long-term venture, not just insulating us from short-term discomfort.
While our circumstances may cause immediate (yet temporary) pain today, God is using today's painful experiences to strengthen us so that we will be protected when facing larger challenges in the future.
Had we not gone through these present day (and past) painful experiences we would not be able to withstand the more potent and potentially fatal (to our spirits) obstacles that are to come.
God's protection is always focused on the long-term, big picture; and it's focused not so much on avoiding physical pain, but on protecting your heart.
God always protects. His protection is an expression of His love. God's protection is not the prevention of immediate pain but the preservation of our hearts.
The typical reaction is, "No! There is plenty of painful evidence that he doesn't!"
When my daughter was three years old I took her to the pediatrician for a MMR (Measles, Mumps and Rubella) vaccination.
I held her in my lap as she received the shots. I remember her looking up at me with tear-filled and terrified eyes. Her expression was a combination of fear, confusion and pain. She could not understand why I was betraying her and allowing these strangers to hurt her.
Was I protecting her? In the short-term, no; there was much pain. In the long-run, yes; for I was allowing her body to build up immunities to diseases that could cause her greater pain in years to come.
I think it is that way with God's protection. God is always loving, and His love always protects. God sees protection as a long-term venture, not just insulating us from short-term discomfort.
While our circumstances may cause immediate (yet temporary) pain today, God is using today's painful experiences to strengthen us so that we will be protected when facing larger challenges in the future.
Had we not gone through these present day (and past) painful experiences we would not be able to withstand the more potent and potentially fatal (to our spirits) obstacles that are to come.
God's protection is always focused on the long-term, big picture; and it's focused not so much on avoiding physical pain, but on protecting your heart.
God always protects. His protection is an expression of His love. God's protection is not the prevention of immediate pain but the preservation of our hearts.
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