Secured: Security in the Promises of God
In March 2017, Hope Moms from all across the country gathered in Giddings, TX for the annual Hope Mommies Retreat. Together, they spent the weekend sharing the stories of their precious babies, and finding that Christ can indeed comfort the brokenhearted, often through the hands and tears of another sufferer along the way. The theme of the 2018 retreat was “Secured.” In this mini series, our retreat speaker, Lindsey Dennis, takes us through Psalm 91:1-4 in order to give us a greater picture of the security we have been given in Christ.
“He will cover you with His pinions,
and under His wings you will find refuge;
His faithfulness is a shield and buckler.”
Psalm 91:4
The Psalmist declares with conviction that God is a safe place to not only find refuge, but to experience protection. In the NLT, this last phrase is translated, “His faithful promises are your armor of protection.” God’s faithfulness is His reliability, and His trustworthiness. When someone is reliable, you trust what they say they will do. Because God is faithful, we can trust that His promises are true.
We find security in the promises of God.
After I walked through the loss of Dasah, I began to study the story of Hannah in 1 Samuel 1-2. One of the most well known verses in Hannah’s story is found in 1 Samuel 1:27 “For this child I prayed and the Lord has granted me what I asked of Him.” I would imagine that if you’re a woman who has lost a child, is longing for a child, or has been praying for a child, and God has not answered that request, this verse can sting. Why did you not answer my request Lord?
But if you read further into this passage, you will find that Hannah’s story is actually a movement of her heart to cling to the greatest promises of God regardless of what He gives or does not give.¹ What I want us to look at in Hannah’s story is the promise she was given. Hannah was quite literally told by the priest, Eli, that she would receive what she had asked of the Lord—a son. Imagine that! Isn’t that the kind of specific promise many of us would like to have from the Lord in the midst of our grief and longing?
There were so many promises I wanted to be given as I walked through the life and death of my first two daughters.
I wanted God to promise the healing of Sophie and Dasah.
I wanted God to promise that I would have more children that I could bring home and parent.
I want God to promise that the son I adopted two years ago will live a long and full life.
But I have not been promised these things.
It’s easy to look at Hannah’s life and say, “Of course she could sing God’s praises. She was given the promise of her heart’s desire. But what about me?” Hannah knew in part, and we know in full, that we have actually been give a greater promise.
We have a promise that extends beyond this world— a greater promise than simply for our earthly desires to be met. We have been promised Jesus. We have been guaranteed that our present suffering will produce an eternal weight of glory—the promise of all things being made new.
Hannah knew a future hope was coming. She knew there was a Rock to lean on that was greater than any circumstantial promise. This is why she could give her son back to the Lord—which was exactly what she did after praising God for granting her petition to Him. She didn’t know when or how this coming promise of a Savior would come, but we do!
Imagine the nation of Israel hearing the words of Psalm 91:4, being reminded of God’s faithfulness, as they were beginning to come back to their homeland after being in exile. Are God’s promises still true? Is He still faithful?
“For as many as are the promises of God, in Him they are YES!”
(2 Corinthians 1:20)
God’s Word is full of promises He has given us, too many to count. Yet it is so important for us to cling to them in times of deep pain, sorrow, and suffering. We are not unlike the Israelites, inclined to wonder if God is still faithful in the midst of our pain and suffering. Just like they needed to be constantly reminded of God’s faithfulness to His promises, so do we.
As I study God’s Word, I highlight in blue all the promises I come across as I’m reading. I can flip through my Bible, and see every blue mark, and note another promise of God. I love having those promises so easy to find, especially in seasons where I am prone to forget. I don’t understand what all of those promises mean, and I don’t know exactly how many of them will come to fruition. However, I have seen enough of His faithfulness in my own life, and displayed towards His people throughout Scripture, that I have no reason to believe that He would continue to be anything less than completely faithful. And because of this, I can continue to surrender my story to Him.
We can find security in surrender to God.
Knowing God, and knowing His promises, will lead us to a fresh surrender. How can we find rest in “the shadow of His wings” if we are unwilling to surrender to the shelter His wings provide? Surrender opens our hands to receive what God has to give, and what He has to reveal about Himself. And He has so much to give.
Our salvation, faith, and security are not dependent on us. What is dependent on us is whether or not we will draw near to God, and experience the security He has promised and given us.
His character is secure in an insecure and ever changing world. But He is not safe as the world would define safety. If we think safety is freedom from anything hard and painful, or any kind of disaster, we will not find that. What we will discover is His ultimate goodness in the midst of the pain of living in a fallen world.
His goodness, and His love are so astounding that the very nature of His character draws us to know that we are safe and secure in His presence. And we can trust this security in the midst of every unsafe and insecure thing that happens in our life.
He will never stop being the essence of goodness and love. He will never stop finishing the good work that He has begun in you, and me, and in His creation. For He knows the fullness of what is coming.
Is it worth it then to go through the suffering and loss that many of us have had to experience? I think a better question for us to ask is, “Is He worthy to endure the suffering and loss He has asked us to endure?” For I don’t think we can truly in our finite minds answer the first question, but I do think we can know with greater clarity and conviction the answer to the second.
Can I rest in the shadow of His wings knowing that there is no safer place that I could be— no place that holds greater security—than with my King? Can I allow my pain to be a vehicle of God’s love, mercy, and grace to those around me?
Knowing God like this leads our hearts and lives to worship. Would you take some time to worship God—to give Him the praise He is due—for who He is, for what He has done, and what He has promised He will still do?
¹I’ve written a devotional on Hannah’s story in the Hope Mommies e-book, Heard, if you would like to unpack her story more.
- Lindsey
Hope Mom to Sophie and Dasah
Hi! I’m Lindsey. I live in Orlando, Florida with my stud of a husband Kevin. We have 3 incredible children, Sophie and Dasah who now live with Jesus, and Jaden who came into our lives through adoption. We have a very energetic golden retriever, and love living in the sunshine state. I get to spend my days loving on my son, investing my life in college students here through a non-profit organization we’re a part of, and when I have time, writing on my blog about the hope that doesn’t disappoint!
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