Most of us are built in such a way that we need to feel safe and secure. When we don’t feel safe, we scramble after all sorts of things to find security, some of them profoundly unhealthy. In an effort to feel safe, sometimes we try to wall ourselves off from all possible threats. We don’t allow anyone to get too close. We obsess about building an impeccable financial portfolio. We spend huge amounts of time perfecting the “right” diet, the “right” exercise routine, the “right” medical regimen, the “right” home environment. We strive to feel bulletproof, invulnerable.

While such tactics can indeed protect us from some dangers, they also exclude us from real life. And in the end, they can’t deliver real safety, anyway. Real security can’t be found in a suit of armor, but in a Guardian who faithfully surrounds us with His protection. One Scripture passage highlights two different ways of trying to feel safe. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe.” Another popular option follows in verse 11: “The wealth of the rich is their fortified city; they imagine it an unscalable wall.” The first way actually works; the second way doesn’t.

We need to cling to the Guardian of our souls and bring others to safety in Him. He’s the only safe place in an unsafe world.                  

This is Luis Palau.