Love Always Protects

As parents, the protection of our children is a top priority in our lives. From baby-proofing our homes to teaching them how to cross the street safely and not to talk to strangers, we are constantly keeping them from heading straight into danger. Likewise, we are also focused on keeping danger from finding them. Whether it is keeping harmful influences out of their lives or keeping a strict eye on them at the playground. We are guardians, a stronghold, or more accurately, a levee which protects our children. Like a levee, we keep the flood waters from raging storms at bay in order to keep our children from being ripped off their foundations and away from mental and physical peril.

However, as we saw with Hurricane Katrina and the flood waters that wreaked havoc in New Orleans, levees are not infallible. There are many types of levees, whether they are natural, made of earth and clay, or man-made comprised of concrete. When building a levee, the most important part is that it has a strong foundation. They can still develop cracks that leak or erode, giving way to the oncoming storm.

So how do we fortify the levee we were made to be in order to keep our kids safe? The answer is, as always, Jesus. In Luke 11:21-26, Jesus has this to say after ridding a man of the demons of Beelzebub:

“When a strong man, fully armed, guards his own house, his possessions are safe. But when someone stronger attacks and overpowers him, he takes away the armor in which the man trusted and divides up the spoils.

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me, scatters.

“When an evil spirit comes out of a man, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it. Then it says, ‘I will return to the house I left.’ When it arrives, it finds the house swept clean and put in order. Then it goes and takes seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they go in and live there. And the final conditions of that man is worse than the first.”

Now let’s replace the house for the levee of protection we are meant to be. Jesus tells us that if our levee, our soul, is fully armored, as strong as it can be, then our possessions, our kids will be safe. However, there are beings, demons from the devil, that are stronger than ourselves that can overpower our levee and divide up what we seek to protect. He says that even if we shore up our levee again, then the devil will come back, stronger than before and will still be able to breach our walls. However, he gives us hope. He says that this will only happen if we are not with him.

Meaning, if we put our trust and faith in Jesus, then he will fortify our levees for us. He will help us and give us the strength we need to protect our children as well as ourselves. We will still have the enemies come and try to knock down our fortifications, but they will hold firm. They will not crack or erode and our children will stay safe.

While we can do many physical things to this end, such as the ones mentioned before, the most important thing we can do is pray. Pray for the protection of our children’s souls and over their lives. Don’t just pray with a daily diligence, but also teach your children to know God and to love him. I am sure you have heard people being referred to as “God-fearing.” God doesn’t want us to fear him, he wants us to love him, to live with him and always be at his side. This goes especially for our children, who need him just as much if not more than we do. When praying for our children, let us keep Psalm 91 in mind.

“He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty.

I will say of the Lord, ‘He is my refuge and my fortress, my God in whom I trust.’

Surely, he will save you from the fowler’s snare and the deadly pestilence.

He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge;

His faithfulness will be your shield and rampart.

You will not fear the terror of night, nor the arrow that flies by day,

Nor the pestilence that stalks in the darkness, nor the plague that destroys at midday.

A thousand may fall at your side, ten thousand at your right hand, but it will not come near you.

You will only observe with your eyes and see the punishment of the wicked.

If you make the Most High your dwelling-even the Lord, who is my refuge-

Then no harm will befall you, no disaster ill come near your tent.

For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways;

They will lift you up in their hands, so that you will not strike your foot against a stone.

You will tread upon the lion and the cobra; you will trample the great lion and the serpent.

‘Because he loves me,’ says the Lord, ‘I will rescue him; I will protect him, for he acknowledges my name.

He will call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble, I will deliver him and honor him.

With long life will I satisfy him and show him my salvation.’”



Reflection:

What forces are battering at your levee?

What are you doing now to strengthen your faith in Jesus?

What would it look like in your life if God is providing your strength and sheltering your family with his protection?