God’s Protection
GOD’S COMMANDS PROTECT US.
Bible Reading of the Day: Read Psalm 119:1-6.
Verse of the Day: “I will never forget your commandments, for you have used them to restore my joy and health” (Psalm 119:93).
Rain pelted the ground as Cindy and her father walked from their car to the mall entrance. While others all around them raced back and forth in the rain, trying to reach their destination before they got soaked, Cindy and her father were shielded by the large umbrella they had brought with them from home.
As they walked to the entrance, holding hands, Cindy looked at her father. “Daddy, what happened to Tommy Blevins?” she asked. Tommy lived down the street from Cindy’s family. “Mommy said he’s in the hospital.”
“Yes,” her father answered as they arrived at the entrance. He shook the rain from the umbrella and began folding it up.
“Tommy was in an accident and got hurt very bad.”
“Why?” Cindy asked.
“Why?” her father echoed. “Well, he went out drinking with some friends and had too much to drink. Then he tried to drive home while he was drunk.”
Cindy thought for a few moments as they entered the mall. Finally, she asked, “Did God make that happen to punish Tommy?”
“No,” her father said slowly. “No, I don’t think so, Cindy. But Tommy wouldn’t be in the hospital if he had obeyed God’s warnings about getting drunk.”
“So God is punishing him,” Cindy said, “because he got drunk.”
Cindy’s father stopped walking and turned to face his daughter. He held the folded umbrella in his hands as if he were about to open it. “It’s like this umbrella, Cindy,” he said. “We didn’t get wet on our way into the mall today, did we? Why not?”
“Because the umbrella kept us dry,” she answered.
“Right. As long as we stayed under the umbrella, we were protected from the rain.” He paused, then continued. “What would have happened if you had decided to jump out from under the umbrella on the way into the mall?”
“I would have gotten wet, Daddy,” Cindy said, as if the answer were too easy. “Right. Well, God’s commands are like this umbrella, Cindy. If we obey his commands, we will be protected from many terrible things. But if we ignore God’s commands, it’s like stepping out from under an umbrella during a rainstorm. We’re no longer protected.”
TO DO: Gather together all the umbrellas in the house and place them at strategic points where they’ll be seen frequently (hallway, kitchen, etc.) to remind all in the family that God’s commands shelter and protect them.
TO PRAY: “Lord, thank you for protecting us through your commandments.”