Your Invisible Guards {Psalm 91:11-12}

Do you have to see God to believe in His protection?

Even when God is invisible, He is guarding you.

What We Don’t See

I was at the kitchen sink washing dishes Thursday night. My right foot was hurting a little.

I looked down at my white sock. It now had a red spot. It was blood.

This week we’re reading and memorizing Psalm 91:11-12.

11 For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways.
12 On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.

I hadn’t struck my foot against a stone, but minutes earlier, a weird thing had happened. It explained the bleeding.

Sometimes we see things and then we understand.

But other times we’re asked to understand even without seeing.

It’s harder that direction.

It’s easier to believe in God when we see Him in action. When we don’t see Him, we can doubt He’s around. Or that He cares. Or even that He’s real.

And His angels? We can doubt that level of protection, too. Maybe this isn’t meant for us?

Maybe Psalm 91:11-12 was only meant for Jesus? Satan did bring it up to Jesus in the wilderness temptations. In the second temptation, Satan said to Jesus,

If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written, “He will command his angels concerning you,” and “On their hands they will bear you up, lest you strike your foot against a stone.”
Matthew 4:6

But just as Jesus answered, “Don’t put God to the test,” we, too, don’t need to challenge God to prove Himself to us.

So how do we respond to these truths in Psalm 91?

Believe Without Seeing

We believe in invisible things all the time. The current coronavirus pandemic is the perfect example. The majority of us will never see the virus with our own eyes, but we know it’s real.

We take it seriously because we see its results.

The same with God. Even though we don’t see God face to face, we often see His works. In our attitudes, in our relationships, in our circumstances, in nature, in His Word.

Our protection may be invisible, but that doesn’t make it less real.

Maybe you’ve never seen an angel as promised in Psalm 91:11 (or maybe you have?). (Read more about angels here: Psalm 34:7; Psalm 103:20; Hebrews 1:14.)

We read that angels did come to Jesus after the temptations and ministered to Him. Just as an angel had come to Joseph, warning him to flee with baby Jesus from Herod. And just as angels later attended to Jesus praying in the garden of Gethsemane.

If God commands angels to protect His children, we don’t have see it to believe it. It is true.

• We can rest securely in God’s shadow (Psalm 91:1).
• We no longer have to fear the terror of the night (Psalm 91:5).
• We are safe in our dwelling place in Him (Psalm 91:9).

Rest in God’s Protection

I stopped doing the dishes and pulled off my sock. The tiny red spot confirmed I’d taken a direct hit. Earlier, I had opened the dishwasher door and a steak knife fell out, tip down, on the top of my foot before landing on the floor.

It was a very minor injury from an accident that could have been much worse. I thought of Psalm 91 and thanked God for His unseen protection. He doesn’t always stop the catastrophe from happening to us in the physical realm. But this time I was spared.

Even when we can’t see God, He sees us. We are always on His mind and always in His works.

Maybe you’ve not seen God’s protection in the way you think it should happen, but rest assured of this truth: God is for you and God is with you. He commands His angels to guard you.

Find peace in your present and assurance for your future.

About things seen.

And things unseen.

How has God protected you? Where have you seen signs of His guards? Please share in the comments.

See all the Psalm 91 posts here