A Promise of God’s Protection

Years ago, I was in Africa where we stayed in tents out on the open range. Now, when night falls in Africa, bizarre sounds come out of the jungle. It sounds like something out of a movie, except it’s real.

Darkness can be a frightening thing because we can’t see what’s out there. The psalmist addressed this in verses 5 and 6 of Psalm 91: “Do not be afraid of the terrors of the night, nor the arrow that flies in the day. Do not dread the disease that stalks in darkness, nor the disaster that strikes at midday” (NLT).

The phrase “terrors of the night” seems to indicate the things that threaten our safety during the course of the darkness of night. Then there are arrows, which played a significant part in ancient battles. Warriors barraged their opponents with hundreds, even thousands of flaming arrows.

In spiritual warfare, the Devil fires flaming arrows at us as well. For instance, it might be a flaming arrow of fear, a flaming arrow of impure thoughts, a flaming arrow of hatred, or some other thing designed to lodge in our spiritual armor and destroy us.

The good news is that God promises to protect us from those arrows. He will be with us day and night.

Verse 7 goes on to say, “Though a thousand fall at your side, though ten thousand are dying around you, these evils will not touch you” (NLT).

This certainly is a promise of God’s protection. But this isn’t saying that God’s people will not suffer difficulties in life. Christians have faced calamities. Christians have been victims of crimes. Christians have faced hardship.

So this isn’t a carte blanche promise that you will never face any difficulties. It is, however, a promise from God that He will be with you, no matter what you go through. And He will see you through.