While God holds out many promises to us in our afflictions, we must first note that He also promises to keep us from afflictions and dangers. And it is to these latter promises that we look first, trusting God that if it is in keeping with His glory and our eternal good, we will indeed be protected from trials and afflictions which He knows would otherwise undo us.
In fact, it is this for which we pray in the sixth petition of the Lord’s Prayer, that He would “deliver us from evil” (Matt. 6:13). But if the Lord, in His wisdom and goodness, has determined that He’ll be most glorified and we’ll be the best served by the affliction, then we turn our attention to those many promises which speak to the saints in the midst of their trial.
Those promises which assure us that the Lord will preserve us from trial are many. In Genesis 15:1 the LORD promises Abram, “Fear not, Abram, I am your shield.” Agur says the same thing in Proverbs 30:5, that God “is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” But what is this ‘shield’ behind which we find refuge? Rather than being something material or tangible, which we might expect, Agur says it’s the “word of God.” Now what “word” could possibly serve as a shield to the saints? Not the commands of Scripture, because they tell us of our duty and breed obedience. Not the threats of Scripture, for they restrain our disobedience and breed a holy fear. It could only be the promises of Scripture, because these alone tell us what God will do for us and breed the comfort of which Agur speaks. The whole verse goes like this, “Every word of God proves true; he is a shield to those who take refuge in him.” Do you see what he’s saying now? He’s saying our protection against affliction, our preservation from trial and danger, is found in our hiding behind the refuge of God’s promises! The promises of God to prevent afflictions are given to us as a shield of protection.
Take an example. In Jeremiah 1:18-19 the Lord describes Jeremiah’s prophetic ministry in terms which make clear that the Lord will protect him and preserve him from the harm which the evil hearts of the people of Judah would intend against him. “And I, behold, I make you this day a fortified city, an iron pillar, and bronze walls, against the whole land, against the kings of Judah, its officials, its priests, and the people of the land. They will fight against you, but they shall not prevail against you, for I am with you, declares the LORD, to deliver you.” What is the bronze wall which surrounds Jeremiah but the Lord Himself. Surely Jeremiah found great comfort in this promise as he carried out his ministry among the threats and malice of his hearers.
There are several other images in Scripture which God uses to assure us against trial. In Zechariah 2:5 the Lord says He will be “a wall of fire all round” His people. Psalm 125:2 says “As the mountains surround Jerusalem, so the LORD surrounds his people.” Psalm 121:7 says simply, “The LORD will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life.” Psalm 91:9-11 speak both of the Lord encompassing us, protecting us from all evil, and of His angels watching over all our ways, “Because you have made the LORD your dwelling place––the Most High, who is my refuge––no evil shall be allowed to befall you, no plague come near your tent. For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.” And in Job 5:19 Eliphaz assures us of the Lord’s protection against trial when he says, “He will deliver you from six troubles; in seven no evil shall touch you.”
Now what are all these images by which the Lord reveals Himself unto us, but shields against trial, protection against the evil day, and preservation against affliction and danger? There is a refuge here for you dear Christian! Let these promises comfort you that God has promised to protect you from harm, to preserve you from danger, and to lift you up like an ark above the waters of the flood. For He is your shield.
But what about those afflictions which the Lord permits to strike us? For all the afflictions He holds back from us, it seems He still brings many trials our way. What about these? Are there promises to uphold us in the midst of affliction? Yes there are! ––Check back tomorrow for Part 4 and I’ll explain that the Lord promises to be with us in all our afflictions.
**This post is an excerpt from my book written with Joel Beeke, Living by God’s Promises.
