He will not allow your foot to slip or to be moved; He Who keeps you will not slumber. – Psalm 121:3, Amplified Bible (AMP)

When children get scared, there’s nothing more comforting to them than the reassuring embrace of a parent. Knowing that mom or dad are there to protect them, they can release their fear and relax once more.

Like watchful parents who stand ready to protect their young, God the Father fixes His protective gaze upon our every move. When danger heads our way, He can see it long before it reaches us. When temptation calls out to us, He can hear it long before we can. Truer than the most diligent watchman, God stands at His post on guard, peering out over the landscape in search of anything that might harm His people. When He spots that which can harm us, He warns us through His Word to turn to the right hand or to the left. After the warnings come, however, it is up to us to heed our Father’s caution. When we do, we will not slip as we walk His path. When we don’t, we will fall, but due to no fault of our Father’s. He is always a faithful messenger. We just aren’t often faithful at heeding His messages.

Life is filled with all kinds of dangers, but there is no need to dread them – if we yield control of our lives to God. As long as we stay in control, we are likely to suffer at the hands of many of those dangers. But, if we abide by God’s precepts, they shall keep us from so, so much harm, and they shall be health, safety, and rest to our souls.