Eternal Protection

 “God protects our children all the time, going out, coming into our home, and for all time.”

“The Lord will keep you from all evil; He will keep your life. The Lord will keep your going out and your coming in from this time forth and forevermore.” Psalm 121:7-8 (ESV)

The overarching theme of this psalm is that God is our protector. In verses 7 and 8 the Hebrew version uses the verb šāmar, which means “to keep, to guard, to protect”. God protects us, guards us, keeps us from evil. He is our keeper and our helper. He protects us all the time, going out, coming into our home, and for all time. 

Just as He’s keeping you and me, He’s also keeping our children. He loves them so much and has a plan for their lives. He is their protector. He keeps them from evil in ways that we never will be able to. He will “šāmar” their life, their soul. 

Sure, we can try to keep them from harm by teaching them to be cautious, giving them boundaries, shielding them from things they aren’t ready to see and do, and praying over them every single day, but that’s not always enough. There’s so much sin and sadness in this world and our children aren’t immune. Chances are, you or someone you know has lost a child, dealt with childhood trauma or abuse, had a child battle cancer or disease or maybe had a child living with addiction. It’s an unfortunate reality that we have to deal with as humans. We just can’t always keep our children from harm.

But God can keep them from true harm. They are His children more so than they are our children. God gave His son so that our children could spend eternity with Him in heaven. A place where all the bad will be gone. Only God can save them from eternal separation from Him. We cannot do that. 

For that reason, we have to put our faith in God, believing in Him and that He is in control of every situation, good or bad. 

“I lift up my eyes to the hills. From where does my help come?” (Psalm 121:1)

The Psalm does not go on to say anything earthly. Not your husband, not your mom, not your friends. We cannot put our confidence in security systems or any earthly means of protection. We cannot put our trust in others to protect our children, love our children, and care for our children the way God does. 

“My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” (Psalm 121:2)

From the Lord. It’s our job as mothers to put our faith in God, trusting that He will do what He says He’ll do. It’s our job to teach our children to do the same. Our children need a relationship with God, to lean on Him in tough times and good times. 

Psalm 121 promises protection and that our children will be watched over…not just in this life, but forever. A promise that only God can fulfill.

Action Steps:

• Take a moment to reflect on how you view God as a protector of your children. Do you trust Him fully? Have you fully surrendered your children’s lives to God?

• What are you doing in your home to foster a relationship with Jesus in your children? If needed, choose one practical thing you can do today. Ideas:

• Read a verse or two and then have a conversation about it.

• Start doing a devotional book with your children.

• Pray with your child and encourage them to join in.

• For very young children, simply telling them that God loves them SO MUCH is a great place to start.

Written by Cathrine, mother of 4 eternally protected kiddos