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For my Father has given them to me, and he is more powerful than anyone else. No one can snatch them from the Father’s hand. John 10:29
In the previous verse Jesus teaches that as our Good Shepherd we are safe in his hands. Now, as he continues His teaching about being our Good Shepherd he gives us further assurance of our security in Him.
We are not only safe because of Jesus power and strength, as our savior, we are safe because we are also in the Father’s hands and He is ‘more powerful than anyone else’. It’s easy here to miss a vital truth. Jesus says ‘no one’ not ‘nothing’.
We struggle with doubt. We struggle with fear. We struggle with anger. We are hurt by the church and hurt by those who don’t believe. But those are all actions from our main enemy, Satan. He will send anything in our way to pull us away from the Father and his eternal promises.
When we are in His hands, none of the tactics of Satan or his evil cohorts can pull us away. You are doubly protected, doubly loved, doubly cared for. Even when we stray away, He knows where we are and seeks us out. There is no reason to fear when the Father is near.
I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one can snatch them away from me, John 10:28
We were watching a parade in the downtown area of a major metropolitan city one time when we were the unfortunate witnesses to a purse snatching. While we were in no danger, we saw the quickness of the act.
A young man casually walking down the street, reaching out and yanking a purse away from an unsuspecting woman, and running into the crowd. It was fast. It was totally unexpected. It caused the victim loss. We don’t know the outcome of the story. I wish I could say the young man was caught and the valuables recovered, that would be a happy ending to the story. But we all know the likelyhood of that is slim.
One day, Jesus was teaching those gathered around him. He likened His relationship with them as that of a good shepherd to his sheep. He loves His sheep. He knows the intricate personality quirks of each of His sheep, and in today’s verse we are reminded that he protects his sheep.
The enemy of our souls is like a chameleon. He camouflages himself in many ways to hide his presence and keep his victims unaware. He could attack with a critical word, or a broken relationship. He could attack with financial hardship or sudden health issues. He could attack with fear, worry or doubt. He attacks us daily with temptation to sin, and guilt when we give in. He has many weapons at his disposal to try to destroy us.
But Jesus reminds us that no one can snatch us away from His loving protection. Nothing can keep us from experiencing His peace here on earth of our eternal destiny. No matter what you are going through today. No matter what attacks you are enduring. No matter what failure has, once again, become a part of you.
The attacks of the enemy are often quick and unexpected. But Jesus, your Good Shepherd, will never allow you to become a victim of the enemy. He sees the attacks coming and helps you through them. You are secure in him.
I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. John 15:9
“If God is a God of love, then why did my mom get cancer?”
“If God is a God of love, why is there evil in the world?’
“If God is a God of love, why did that natural disaster happen?”
“If God is a God of love…”
We hear it all the time. It’s one of the arguments athiests, agnostics and non-believers love to use to prove that if God does exist, he isn’t the type of God one would want to have faith in.
But love is proven more powerfully in bad times than the good. When life is easy, we tend to love everyone and everything. But true love? You see that in the picture of an elderly man helping his nearly crippled wife walk down the street.
You see true love in the husband or wife who patiently and faithfully helps their spouse through addiction.
You see true love in the mom and dad who faithfully sit by the hospital bed of a sick child.
And God? You see His true love in through the life and death of His Son, Jesus. God loved Jesus as His only son yet he allowed him to go experience the rejection of the very people he created.
He allowed Jesus to feel the sorrow of watching friends die, people being mistreated and parents following the casket of sons and daughters.
He watched, and eventually looked away, when Jesus endured the ultimate pain of the cross.
In all this tragedy, God’s love is the defining factor. Jesus endured all He endured to show us that true love flourishes in the painful times of life.
The very purpose God has for giving each of us life is so that He can show us love. A love that values us when others reject us. A love that empowers us as we endure hardship and rejection. A love that assures us that even though things may look dark now, a better day is coming.
The rejection of his people and the pain of the cross led to new life, eternal life, through the resurrection.
The same is true for us. We may never understand fully the ‘why’, of God allowing us to go through struggles, hardship and rejection, but one day like Jesus, we will be resurrected into a new life with him forever if we follow Him as Lord and Savior.
And if God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, he will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Matthew 6:30
We live in a beautiful area. People travel from miles around to visit sights I see every day.
We were camping one time with my in-laws at a campground about 10 miles from our house. They’d been to the park before, but never camped there. As we sat around the fire one night, one of them said, “This is so beautiful here. I don’t know why we drive so far to camp elsewhere when we could just camp here!”
The point was well taken, and as we travel to other areas to view the scenery, I often wonder how often the locals stop to admire their surroundings. In their defense, it’s not that they are ungrateful or don’t see the beauty, but when a person sees the same thing everyday we tend to forget how beautiful it is and take it for granted.
Other times, we simply become so distracted by real life that we fail to see the beauty around us. It becomes so commonplace, we simply forget.
Spiritual life can be that way. We get distracted by issues at work. We get distracted by family concerns like finances, health issues and wayward kids. We get distracted by the social and political issues of the world.
But Jesus urges us (commands us?) to step back and remember how God cares for all of his creation. Even things such as wildflowers and sparrows. Scripture tells us he even knows how many hairs are on our heads! Talk about a God who is concerned about the details!
Maybe it’s time to step back and take a look at how God provides for us through His creation. Rather than watch the news, look at some pictures of landscape, read some passages from the book of Psalms, or, if you can, sit on your deck and just take in the views.
Don’t allow distractions keep you from seeing God’s direction. Rather than seeing problems look at God’s provision.
Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Psalms 91:5
Remember when we were young how we would be afraid of the dark? You’d hear a noise and be sure a monster was under your bed. As you grew older, you knew there wasn’t a monster under your bed. Your mind told you to go back to sleep, your body sent off all kinds of alarms. You may have even gotten up, turned on the lights and walked through the house just to be sure there wasn’t anything awry.
Darkness is, by nature, scary because darkness hides the unknown. Physically that may be a chair or toy on the floor, or an intruder. Spiritually the terrors of the night could be worry, fear or anxiety over relationships, work issues, or the condition of our society. What we don’t know can scare us the most at times. The Psalmist reminds us that we can rest assured that whatever lurks in the darkness has already been seen by a loving Father who protects us from things we don’t know and walks through the things that affect us.
The Psalmist also assures us that we will be protected by the arrows that fly in the daylight. Today, arrows have been perfected as to accuracy and distance. But when the Psalmist wrote this, the archer was fairly close to his intended victim.
For us, arrows can symbolize attacks that happen in broad daylight. The enemy can’t be seen in darkness, and he can’t shoot an arrow at you. But in the daylight that’s a different story! Arrows come from those you see and, perhaps, even know. These ‘arrows’ can be the criticism and rejection you endure from a close friend. They can be the accusations of those who disagree with you or your opinions. They can be the arrows of misunderstanding.
The Father’s promise is this. Whether the things attacking you are out of the darkness, meaning you didn’t have a clue they were there, or you saw the attacks coming, you can know this. He is aware of your situation. It doesn’t matter how you got where you are, He is there to see you through it. Faith conquers fear. Light conquers darkness. God’s protection covers all.
Mike Fisk & Built with Grace 