Have you had a day when your prayers feel like little broken pieces, splintering and spiraling in ways that didn’t make much sense? Maybe a hard emotional place where it’s hard to see past the fog — your mind and body weighing you down like they were waterlogged?
It can be times like this where we need reminders of God’s incredible strength and power—and the power he gives us. One afternoon just like this, a friend prayed for me, in gentle words I realized that I desperately needed to hear: that God was there, before and behind me, guarding me, protecting me.
Just like my sister in Christ reminded me, you are valuable. You are worth protecting. You are worth guarding. You are worth having our holy, worthy, perfect protector and defender, the God who created the universe, going before you and behind you, surrounding you with his perfect protection and love.
God isn’t just protecting you, either. He’s giving you His strength and power. When you are drained, broken, and can’t even form the words to pray, He’s there.
My friend’s prayer stemmed from Psalm 91, and as I listened to this Psalm I could feel the Holy Spirit pouring strength into me. I hope as you read these verses, you can feel it pour into you:
If you make the Lord your refuge,
if you make the Most High your shelter,
no evil will conquer you;
no plague will come near your home.
For he will order his angels
to protect you wherever you go.
They will hold you up with their hands
so you won’t even hurt your foot on a stone.
You will trample upon lions and cobras;
you will crush fierce lions and serpents under your feet!
According to Biblical scholars, we don’t know for certain who Psalm 91, though it may have been a priest or temple worker. What we do now, however, is that it promises God’s protection and strength for those who make Him their refuge.
Maybe the strength you need is just to make it to the post office and back without falling apart today. Maybe it’s to move forward with a job or a dream. Maybe it’s to take care of your family when you’re running empty. Maybe it’s the strength to make a hard decision. Maybe it’s the strength to keep breathing the next breath when the weight of what you’re going through feels like it will crush you.
Our God says that when we dwell in him, his strength is there—not in a little portion, but a cobra-trampling, serpent-crushing, relentless abundance that we can call on and count on. Let this be a reminder that God not only says he will protect you, but he’ll provide the power you need to overcome what’s against you. Even when your circumstances won’t allow you to feel like it in the moment. Not because of who we are, but because of who he is.
We can be broken — and at the same time, we can also know we have a lifelong defender, rescuer, and protector even in the midst of whatever we’re going through. We can have the cobra-trampling power and strength of Christ in us even as we struggle to see the next step through the fog.
Create Space for Grace
Soak in God’s word. Let it wash over you. Create space to be with God in this moment. Breathe, pray, and consider a step he’s inviting you to take with him.
Breathe
Breathe in: The Lord is my refuge and shelter.
Breath out: No evil will conquer me.
Pray
Father God,
I don’t always see or feel your protection or your power. I praise you for your promises and that we can trust you to give us the strength we need, no matter what we’re facing. Help my heart to count on and cling to this promise—that in spite of what it looks like or feels like in the moment, you are there—holding me, protecting me from harm, and giving me the power to overcome every kind of evil.
Thank you for your constant provision. Help me to remember to take refuge in you when there are cobras, lions, and serpents at my feet and I can’t see the way out or through.
In Jesus Name,
Amen
Take a Step With Jesus
God invites us to take refuge in Him, even when we’re surrounded by danger or potential harm. Think about where your heart and soul need protection.
What spiritual practices might help you to take refuge in Him today? What might it look in your situation to have the power to trample cobras?
Journal or write down what God reveals to you.