God Preserves You!
“Preserve (watch over) me, O God, for in You I put my trust” (Psalm 16:1).
There is a prayer and a pledge that continue from my heart every day of my life: “God, You have preserved me from my mother’s womb. You have sustained me in all my journeys never to leave or forsake me. You have brought me through the winds, storms, and life’s trials. You have guided me by Your grace and mercy all the days of my life to bring me to the place where I am. I MUST REMAIN FOR YOU AND PRESERVE MYSELF FOR YOU, MY FATHER AND MY GOD.”
In Psalm 16, a Messianic Psalm, David begins his prayer with a plea to God to preserve and watch over him. It is a great privilege for a child of God that God builds their home and watches over them, even their city: “Unless the Lord builds the house, they labor in vain who build it; unless the Lord guards the city, the watchman stays awake in vain” (Psalm 127:1).
God indeed preserves and protects you and me as preservation and protection are parts of the privileges of being a citizen of God’s Kingdom.
God Preserves You for Your Posterity!
The providence of God placed Joseph in Egypt to save the country from famine in Joseph’s own words: “But now, do not, therefore, be grieved or angry with yourselves because you sold me here; for God sent me before you to preserve life...And God sent me before you to preserve a posterity (remnant) for you in the earth, and to save your lives by a great deliverance” (Genesis 45:5,7). Joseph credited God who by His sovereign will and divine providence placed him in Egypt ahead of the rest of his family members who would one day be delivered by the hand of God from Egypt to their own promised land. Joseph remembered his grandfather Abraham’s prophecy of his posterity: “Now when the sun was going down, a deep sleep fell upon Abram; and behold, horror and great darkness fell upon him. Then He said to Abram: ‘Know certainly that your descendants will be strangers in a land that is not theirs and will serve them, and they will afflict them four hundred years. And also, the nation whom they serve I will judge; afterward, they shall come out with great possessions. Now as for you, you shall go to your fathers in peace; you shall be buried at a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall return here, for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete’” (Genesis 15:12-16). Joseph knew that God led him into Egypt and that God would lead them out of Egypt, and so he left his word with his brethren at his death: “And Joseph said to his brethren, ‘I am dying; but God will surely visit you, and bring you out of this land to the land of which He swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.’ Then Joseph took an oath from the children of Israel, saying, ‘God will surely [e]visit you, and you shall carry up my bones from here.’ So, Joseph died, being one hundred and ten years old; and they embalmed him, and he was put in a coffin in Egypt” (Genesis 50:24-26).
God preserved Joseph under all his circumstances and brought him out of prison to provide relief to the land of Egypt. God preserved Joseph as Joseph preserved himself in God.
God places you, sometimes against your wish, to preserve you with His divine posterity upon your life!
When we are placed under circumstances beyond our control, the only thing we need to worry about is whether we are walking with God, trusting Him, and obeying Him in all that He has called us to do. The time will come when God, through His divine providence, places His child in the proper place.
Preservation is not one-sided by God alone but by the character of God that sustains us and lifts us beyond our circumstances.
Trusting in God Preserves Us!
“Preserve (watch over) me, O God, for in You I put my trust” (Psalm 16:1).
“In You, I put my trust and hide myself” is what King David means in this prophetic and messianic psalm.
Trusting comes from tasting God’s goodness continuously: “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; blessed is the man who trusts in Him” (Psalm 34:8)!
A vast majority of the world has no God. Among those who profess to be believers, many have not tasted God in His goodness, kindness, and all His attributes – He is just, forgiving, merciful, kind, gracious, loving, giving, good, gentle, truthful, compassionate, etc. Kind David challenges us to “taste and see that the Lord is good.” A prolonged experience of God in His attributes forms an unshakable foundation of trust in God. Abraham developed that trust either instantly or throughout his experience with God to arrive at the place Apostle Paul described of him: “(Abraham) did not waver at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strengthened in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully convinced that what He had promised He was also able to perform. And therefore ‘it was accounted to him for righteousness’” (Romans 4:20-22).
Just as the tasting of good food leaves that taste in our mouths, tasting of God leaves a permanent imprint of faith and trust in our hearts that stands the test of time, trials, and tribulations through all of which God preserves us!
Preservation by Integrity and Uprightness!
“Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for You” (Psalm 25:21).
Integrity is “adherence to moral and ethical principles; soundness of moral character; honesty.”
Uprightness is “righteousness, honesty, or being just.”
God is upright: “Good and upright is the Lord; therefore, He teaches sinners in the way. The humble He guides in justice, and the humble He teaches His way. All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth, to such as keep His covenant and His testimonies” (Psalm 25:8-10). God preserves those who are humble enough to learn from Him and to become like Him in integrity and uprightness. The integrity and uprightness preserved Job in all that he had suffered in the hand of Satan, only to be delivered and blessed at the end. Job’s later end was more glorious than his beginning. In the end, God preserved Job by his integrity, truth, and uprightness!
Preservation in God’s Hiding Place!
“You are my hiding place; You shall preserve me from trouble” (Psalm 32:7)
How do we know that we are in the hiding place of God? David describes two important aspects of living in God’s presence in the same verse (7) and the following (verse 8) - Songs of worship, Instruction by God, and Guidance with His eye! “You shall surround me with songs of deliverance. I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will guide you with My eye” (Psalm 32:7-8).
Here is the expanded Hebrew version of the same passage from the Amplified Bible: “You are a hiding place for me; You, Lord, preserve me from trouble, You surround me with songs and shouts of deliverance. I [the Lord] will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you with My eye upon you.”
God hides us when we are His sanctuary of worship, hearing His instruction in His Word, and offering us guidance with His eye. We are preserved in the hidden place of God which is the place of worship, instruction, and intimacy!
God’s Mercy, Love, and Truth Preserve You!
“Do not withhold Your tender mercies from me, O Lord; let Your lovingkindness and Your truth continually preserve me” (Psalm 40:11).
God’s love preserves me, and His truth sets me free and preserves me in the land of the living. David prayed: “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom” (Psalm 51:6). “Remove from me the way of lying and grant me Your law graciously. I have chosen the way of truth; Your judgments I have laid before me” (Psalm 119:29-30).
A continuous and constant consciousness of God’s mercy upon my life preserves me to know the truth and walk in the truth. I never forget, “Justice gives me what I deserve, mercy does not give me what I deserve, but grace gives me what I do not deserve.” I stand beyond the throne of God’s mercy all the time. God’s grace sustains me daily, and His truth preserves me every moment.
We are preserved for a life of transparency by doing God’s will and showing God’s love to others: “I delight to do Your will, O my God and Your law is within my heart. I have proclaimed the good news of righteousness in the great assembly; indeed, I do not restrain my lips, O Lord, You Yourself know. I have not hidden Your righteousness within my heart; I have declared Your faithfulness and Your salvation; I have not concealed Your lovingkindness and Your truth from the great assembly” (Psalm 40:8-10).
Preservation and Protection from Violence!
Finally, David prays for protection and preservation from violent men (Men of ‘kha-maas – Hamas’) “Deliver me, O Lord, from evil men; preserve me from violent men…Keep me, O Lord, from the hands of the wicked; preserve me from violent men, who have purposed to make my steps stumble. The proud have hidden a snare for me, and cords; they have spread a net by the wayside; they have set traps for me” (Psalm 140:1, 4-5).
Let us pray for those who are agitated, troubled, and violent who are everywhere around us. When we know that we are protected and preserved, we cannot help but pray for God to show the same mercy and grace toward those who are playing havoc with violence. They need God and need Him badly. As we do, God’s preservation is with us to help us finish what God has called us to do.
“Preserve (watch over) me, O God, for in You I put my trust” (Psalm 16:1).
God moves us to the place of our destiny to preserve you in your posterity!
Trusting God preserves us from acquiring any other taste contrary to God’s goodness!
Integrity and uprightness preserve us as Job was preserved at the end!
Under the shadow of God’s presence, we are protected with songs of deliverance and determination to follow His commands!
God’s mercy, truth, and love sustain us!
God’s protection from chaos, violence, and purposeless living that surround us everywhere.
My daily prayer: “God, You have preserved me from my mother’s womb. You have preserved me in all my journeys never to leave or forsake me. You have brought me through the winds, storms, and life’s trials. You have guided me by Your grace and mercy all the days of my life to bring me to the place where I am. I MUST REMAIN FOR YOU AND PRESERVE MYSELF FOR YOU, MY FATHER, AND MY GOD.”
Prayer
“Heavenly Father, I love You, and I thank You for saving me by Your grace through the sacrifice of Jesus on the Cross of Calvary. I am preserved in Your mercies, grace, and love. You have never failed me, nor will You ever forsake me. Thank You, Lord, for helping me to fulfill my journey, finish my race, and stand before You to enjoy Your holy presence all the time. I pray, Lord, that the people who do not know You will experience Your goodness, kindness, and love as I have experienced. Please use me for Your glory to bring healing to those who are violent and bound in darkness. I live to be Your witness. I am Yours, and Yours alone, my Lord. In the Most Precious and Wonderful Name of Jesus, I pray. Amen! Amen!!”
__________________________________________________________________________________________
John Jeyaseelan
Global Prayer Center | prayer | 701 Bill France Boulevard, Daytona Beach, FL, USA
Comments